# Cartels use drones to scout border agents and map smuggling routes, expert warns

https://mins.news/en/item/100337

- Fox News, 2026-10-14 19:51 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.foxnews.com/world/cartels-use-drones-scout-border-agents-map-smuggling-routes-expert-warns

> Mexican cartels are using commercial and modified drones to monitor U.S. security personnel, learn patrol patterns and support smuggling routes, an expert says. The U.S. military detected 378 drone incursions along the border in the previous 30 days. Customs and Border Protection says cartels also use drones to monitor law enforcement, scout crossing points and coordinate smuggling.