Drug Traffickers in Tamaulipas Are Fighting Each Other Using Drones; 22 Were Seized in One Weekend

In Tamaulipas, the fight between organized crime groups has now intensified with the use of drones. To this end, criminal groups have acquired equipment to detect these devices and immobilize them.

Last weekend alone, 22 of these devices and flight inhibitors were seized, along with 151 explosive devices.

Since last year, the state Public Security Secretariat has warned about the seizure of at least five drones belonging to organized crime.

According to information obtained by MILENIO, these drones are used as a kind of missile to which homemade explosives are attached and dropped on their enemies.

They are also believed to be used for surveillance of rivals and security forces, for smuggling contraband, and for starting fires.

The territorial struggle between the Escorpiones group of Matamoros and Los Metros of Reynosa, both offshoots of the Gulf Cartel operating on the northern border of Tamaulipas, has led to videos circulating on social media showing the advantage this technology gives them in attacking their rivals by surprise, mainly in the areas of Miguel Alemán, Reynosa, Río Bravo, and Matamoros.

The images might look like something from a video game like Call of Duty, but they aren’t.

The narrative of the young men operating these devices makes it clear that they are members of the Cartel del Golfo who claim to have hit their targets and eliminated several enemies.

There is also evidence that the drones appear during shootouts; they record confrontations, and their night vision has made it possible to observe the combat use of vehicles known as “monstruos,” units made with homemade armor.

However, the acquisition of technology to gain an advantage in their confrontations also includes the purchase of drone detectors, devices that use technologies such as radar, radio frequency, acoustics, and video to identify and locate drones, as well as the location of their operators. They can alert about their presence in real time.

The most common, according to members of police corporations that have participated in the seizures of these devices, are radio frequency detectors, which detect the radio signals that drones use to communicate with their controllers.

But there are more sophisticated ones, such as radar detectors, which have broader coverage and can detect flying objects even if they are not transmitting signals, which is crucial for security.

Criminal groups have also been purchasing drone jammers, systems designed to detect, track, identify, and neutralize these devices.

Some devices even have the ability to bring down or attract drones for seizure. They are used in high-security environments to protect against threats such as the shipment of dangerous packages, counterintelligence, or attacks.

Drone Operator Arrested

Just this weekend, in the municipality of Reynosa, in coordinated actions between the State Guard and the Ministry of National Defense (Defense), through Operation Northern Border, a member of a criminal cell was arrested while traveling in a vehicle that had been reported stolen.

He was carrying 18 drones, a drone detector, and three anti-drone devices, for a total of 22 of these devices, as well as 151 explosive objects, two improvised explosive devices, two firearms, 26 magazines, and 44 cartridges.

According to unofficial reports, he was allegedly an operator of these devices who was also tasked with loading them with explosives.

Drones used for surveillance, which include night vision, cost between 9,000 and 25,000 pesos, although there are more expensive models depending on their size and camera accuracy.

Drone detectors range in price from 400 pesos—the simplest—to 300,000 pesos.

An anti-drone can cost between 15,000 pesos and more than a million pesos, depending on the model, according to the stores that offer them.

They are used to attack security forces

In Tamaulipas, the Ministry of Public Security has acknowledged that its police have been attacked on at least three occasions with drones carrying explosives.

Two of these attacks occurred in October 2024 and left three officers injured—one seriously—as well as a damaged tactical vehicle, in the Río Bravo area, a municipality disputed by the Escorpiones and Los Metros.

The latest attack on the police occurred on October 7 of this year, when officers from Operation Frontera Grande—which is deployed in the municipalities of Miguel Alemán, Mier, Camargo, and Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, the area known as the Frontera Chica—were conducting surveillance.

Near the area known as “Las Quintas,” they were fired upon. The officers began pursuing the armed civilians, who then sent two drones that dropped explosives. Although they didn’t detonate, they were confiscated.

Tamaulipas Deputies Reform the Penal Code

Following the problems experienced in 2024 and given the need to harmonize the state Penal Code with the federal one, on January 14 of this year, the Permanent Commission of the State Congress approved two legislative initiatives to amend the Penal Code, with the goal of establishing prison sentences ranging from seven to 15 years for those who use drones for criminal purposes.

In their justification, the deputies argued that criminals had turned drones into remotely piloted aircraft used for smuggling, video surveillance, and as explosive devices or to start fires.

Humberto Prieto Herrera, president of the Governing Board of the State Congress, explained that this law focuses exclusively on the illegal use of drones, clarifying that those who use them for recreational purposes or to take photographs and videos will not be subject to penalties.

“This measure arises from the growing use of advanced technology by criminal organizations to monitor police and manipulate security situations. With the new legislation, authorities seek to curb the illicit use of drones and guarantee the safety of public security operations,” he explained.

Meanwhile, authorities in Mexico and the United States have strengthened border security operations in response to the increased detection of drones used for illicit purposes along the entire border, from San Diego, California, to El Paso, Texas, including the border with Matamoros.

The Deputy Chief of Operations for the US Border Patrol, Roberto Domínguez Jr., confirmed that US agencies maintain close coordination with Mexican authorities to track, identify, and neutralize individuals who use these devices illegally.

“We are working together with Mexican authorities to combat the threat posed by drones used for various illicit activities. This situation has been detected at various points along the border and is not isolated to a single region,” he explained.

Security forces also use drones in operations.

In 2021, the Ministry of National Defense launched a tender for the construction of a military drone runway within the facilities located in the municipality of Reynosa. The purchase of 36 drones was also announced, with an investment of at least five million pesos.

Since 2020, the Tamaulipas Ministry of Public Security announced the acquisition of drones to equip its elite police force, responsible for combating high-impact crimes.

The 2024 National Census of State Public Security (CNSPE) by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) places Tamaulipas as the state with the highest number of drone patrols, with a total of 8,790 patrols, followed by Hidalgo with 2,597; Baja California Sur with 1,639; Tabasco with 1,095; and, in fifth place, Chihuahua with 1,041.

Source: Milenio