Officials in the Trump administration have reportedly been discussing the possibility of using drone strikes against Mexican drug cartels as part of its effort to “wage war” on the criminal gang organizations and reduce drug trafficking at the southern border.
White House officials have discussed conducting drone strikes against cartel figures and their networks in Mexico, with or without the cooperation of the Mexican government. Though a covert operation done without Mexico’s permission would be considered a “last resort,” at least six sources with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.
Discussions about the drone strikes are still in the early stages and there is no consensus among White House, Defense Department and intelligence officials, the news outlet reported.
The Independent has asked the White House for comment.
President Donald Trump has made combating drug cartels a priority for his second term in office, designating cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations” and placing tariffs on Mexico for not doing more to stop the flow of fentanyl across the border.
Even during his first administration, Trump floated the idea of using the U.S. military to combat drug cartels by sending soldiers into Mexico.
Now, the option to use military intervention seems to be under more serious consideration.
Trump’s pick to serve as ambassador to Mexico, Ronald “Ron” Johnson, did not rule out the possibility of using the U.S. military to strike cartels without Mexico’s knowledge.
During his Senate confirmation hearing in March, Johnson said his first choice was to conduct military operations with Mexico’s knowledge and cooperation but that “all cards are on the table.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth similarly refused to rule out using military force in Mexico, telling Fox & Friends in January that “all options will be on the table.”
The U.S. has already used drones to conduct surveillance on drug cartels inside Mexico. Those secretive operations were conducted with the Mexican government and ultimately led to the arrest of major drug figures such as Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
However, those drones are unarmed.
