Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes warns that Mexican drug cartels are deploying drones loaded with fentanyl and surveillance payloads deep into U.S. territory—up to 50 miles. This growing menace poses direct threats to fetch drugs, spy on Border Patrol, and potentially weaponize drones similarly to tactics seen in Ukraine and Mexico.
Mayes states, “It is shocking, the number of drones that are coming inside Arizona. It’s very, very dangerous.” The drones are actively delivering fentanyl, among other contraband, aimed at devastating American families and communities.
In response, Arizona enacted a bipartisan law permitting law enforcement to shoot down or disable suspected drug-smuggling drones and deploy jammers within 15 miles of the border—giving police necessary authority amid federal inaction.
This threat is not isolated. Following increased border security under President Trump’s administration, cartels have turned to “kamikaze” and bomb-equipped drones targeting Border Patrol agents—mirroring violent incidents caught on drone footage near the Texas frontier. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy calls it “a whole other frontier” in cartel aggression.
The use of weaponized drones by cartels colonizes a dangerous grey zone between international terrorism and homegrown criminal activity. Chiapas state police in Mexico have responded by deploying armed drones to counterbalance cartel firepower.
