Mexico uses US drones to stop criminal targets: Defense

As part of the collaboration and coordination efforts between Mexico and the United States, U.S. drones flying over Mexican territory have made it possible to identify criminal targets, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

For this reason, these efforts lead to their arrest, as in the case of the recent operations in Sinaloa where operators of the so-called "Los Chapitos" cartel were arrested.

Defense ensures collaboration with the US

According to the Secretary General of National Defense, Ricardo Trevilla , "the latest detainees in Culiacán are the result of this intelligence work, these aircraft when they fly complement the surveillance system that we have and that is what we do," he declared.

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The head of the Defense Ministry clarified that with these overflights, "the sovereignty of the national airspace has not been violated" because all of them are authorized by the agency under his charge and if overflights are allowed, it is at the request of Mexico and the area to be monitored is specified, acknowledged General Ricardo Trevilla.

He explained that, starting last October, when Claudia Sheinbaum's government began, "targets of criminal groups that affect security in the country were established and we began to carry out a specific follow-up."

He clarified that the planning of the operations is done by the executing party in this case the Army , the Air Force, the Navy and the National Guard as well as the special groups.

Regarding drone overflights, he insisted that they are part of the information that is shared with the United States, and that it is reciprocal.

“Mexico shares information and allows for relevant arrests, but the planning is done by each of the forces of each of the countries, which is why we propose that there be coordination and collaboration as long as there are protocols that do not violate sovereignty or joint work schemes,” declared General Trevilla.