Current and former individuals familiar with the situation told CNN that as part of President Donald Trump's massive realignment of national security resources to the US southern border, the CIA has been secretly flying MQ-9 Reaper drones over Mexico to spy on drug cartels.
The previously unreported missions coincide with the Trump administration's efforts to classify multinational drug cartels as terrorist groups, a classification it has not yet formally adopted.
At the moment, the missions' MQ-9 drones are unarmed. However, they can be fitted with payloads to execute targeted attacks. They are frequently employed by the US to target alleged terrorists in Somalia, Iraq, and Syria.
Designating cartels as terrorist organizations, according to some current and former officials, may pave the way for direct US strikes against the cartels and their drug labs in Mexico.
According to a former and current US official, the CIA has already flown surveillance drones to chase cartels within Mexico as part of at least one tiny program that collaborated with Mexican police.
However, according to a source familiar with the situation, the Trump administration informed Congress about the more recent flights using a specific notification meant for new or updated covert programs that the CIA plans to either hide or deny. This suggests that the flights represent a clear escalation. According to the source, Mexican partners were not included in the notifications.
Regarding the drone missions specifically, the CIA refuses to comment. However, CIA prioritizes "countering drug cartels in Mexico and regionally as part of the Trump Administration's broader efforts to end the grave threat from narco-trafficking," according to a spokeswoman. Director [John] Ratcliffe is committed to using CIA's distinct skills to combat this complex issue.
Increased tensions between the US and Mexican administrations coincide with the disclosure that the CIA is conducting drone missions over Mexico.
Questions about why American military spy planes have conducted flights close to the border in recent weeks are already being raised by the Mexican government.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and other top Mexican officials have stressed the value of sovereignty and the fact that the military spy plane flights are taking place in international airspace and over US territory in response to CNN's reporting on the sharp increase in spy plane flights operating close to Mexico.
According to Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla, he had no prior knowledge of the spy plane missions.
Trevilla stated last week that "we cannot rule out espionage because we do not know exactly what was done." "They did not, however, infringe upon national airspace."
However, the CIA is flying its MQ-9 flights within Mexican airspace. Requests for comment from the Mexican government were not answered.
"The important thing here, I think, in the declaration, which is what we have always proposed, is that they share information with the Government of Mexico," Sheinbaum said Friday in answer to a query concerning increased US overflights in international airspace.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and several other law enforcement organizations also regularly operate planes in Mexican airspace in collaboration with the Mexican government under long-standing bilateral accords.
Although Reaper drones can occasionally be heard from the ground, some sources pointed out that the CIA does not openly recognize the existence of its drone program.
Changes in counterterrorism resources
Together with the anticipated cartel designations, the CIA drone flights highlight the Trump administration's efforts to redirect a wide variety of counterterrorism authority and resources to counter-cartel operations inside Mexico and along the US-Mexico border.
Even before Trump took office, preparations were underway for that change. CNN examined the "2025 Agency Action Plan," a 30-page Trump transition planning document that detailed the Trump administration's initial goals for the intelligence community to "reprogram [counterterrorism] resources."
"Use those authorities and special resources appropriately, including by relocating resources from other regions if necessary," the paper said, treating counter-drug cartel activity as a type of counter-terrorism.
Trump has already discussed in public the use of military force against the cartels, even during his first time in office.
Trump tweeted in 2019 that "the cartels have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army," indicating that the US was prepared to "wage war" on the organizations. Additionally, reporters questioned Trump about his plans to deploy special operations personnel to Mexico as he signed an executive order on January 20 calling for some to be recognized as international terrorist organizations.
"Maybe," Trump stated. "Unusual events have occurred."
Mike Waltz, Trump's national security advisor, has also called for aggressive action against drug gangs in Mexico. He co-introduced legislation in 2023 as a member of Congress that authorized the use of military force against them.
According to a person familiar with the situation, the State Department created a list of cartels it thought should be classified as foreign terrorist organizations in reaction to the presidential order issued on January 20. The official designations are still pending.
Most foreign terrorist organizations currently on the list are extremist Islamist groups. These organizations are fundamentally different from the cartels.
According to former officials and analysts, the cartels are essentially commercial organizations rather than ideological ones, despite some operational similarities. They have no interest in controlling populations or capturing territory, and in certain cases, they have close ties to elements of the Mexican government, with whom the US military actively collaborates and supports counter-narcotics efforts.
