EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — U.S. Border Patrol officials say drones used by cartels for surveillance and drug smuggling are a major concern along the southern border, with the El Paso sector chief calling them one of the area’s highest threats.
Chief Patrol Agent Jesse Muñoz said during a Friday, Oct. 23, news conference in El Paso that authorities see “definitely tens of thousands” of drone incursions each year. He said the aircraft can carry payloads of 5 to 15 pounds, including narcotics, and are also used to monitor Border Patrol operations.
Muñoz said drones can track agents as they respond to illegal border crossings, potentially helping smugglers monitor law enforcement activity.
He also said cartels have used explosive-equipped drones against rival groups and warned those tactics could eventually threaten agents.
“Drones are still probably our highest threat,” Muñoz said, adding that the agency is receiving resources to counter them and has begun knocking drones out of the sky. He did not provide details about how or where that is happening.
The Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation and Department of War announced a temporary flight restriction for drones along the southern border on Oct. 16, Muñoz said. He said the restriction bars unauthorized drone activity within one nautical mile north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Muñoz also pointed to a recent arrest made with Mexican law enforcement. He said a suspected human smuggler and drone operator was charged under Mexico’s Article 159 for human trafficking. The suspect was linked to at least five drone incursions in a busy area, he said. Muñoz did not identify the location, citing the ongoing investigation.
The El Paso sector stretches from Lordsburg, New Mexico, to Fort Hancock, Texas. Muñoz said drone activity has been reported throughout the sector.
The news conference also covered border enforcement and seizures from fiscal year 2026.
CBP Air and Marine Operations Director Ephrem Gonzalez said the El Paso Air Branch’s total drug seizures rose 737% from the previous fiscal year.
He said methamphetamine seizures increased 1,711% and cocaine seizures rose 2,670%.
Customs and Border Protection’s El Paso field office director, Ray Provenza, said seizures of marijuana, fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine increased during fiscal year 2026.
He reported marijuana seizures were up more than 230%, fentanyl more than 119%, cocaine more than 50% and methamphetamine more than 9%.
Muñoz said agents are adapting as cartels change their tactics and that drone activity remains a concern as the agency looks ahead to fiscal year 2027.
In terms of illegal crossings, officials said illegal crossings went from 2,000 a day in 2023 to less than 50 a day.
WATCH FULL PRESS CONFERENCE:
CBP presser on border security efforts and drug seizures
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