Mexico’s Secretary of the Army, Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, said this week that Mexican forces have not shot down, intercepted, or made any arrests connected to cartel drones since launching a joint operation with the United States earlier this month.
The initiative, called Operation Aguila Alta (High Eagle), was announced as a collaboration between U.S. and Mexican authorities to share intelligence and work together to intercept drones used by cartels along the northern border. Mexico’s Army said it deployed 800 troops to the western portion of the border as part of the effort.
Despite that deployment, Trevilla Trejo said his forces have not observed any increase in drone activity along the northern border. He described the drones being used as commercially available models, saying they are primarily deployed by human smugglers to watch for the presence of U.S. Border Patrol agents rather than for more aggressive purposes.
By contrast, Trevilla Trejo noted that U.S. forces have had far more success, intercepting more than 300 drones so far this year.
The military official said his staff is expected to meet with U.S. law enforcement in the coming days to review and update the joint operation.
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