Illicit Innovation: Latin America Is Not Prepared to Fight Criminal Drones | CSIS

Illicit Innovation: Latin America Is Not Prepared to Fight Criminal Drones | Commentary by Henry Ziemer for the Center for Strategic and International Studies

The proliferation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) by transnational criminal organizations in Latin America represents a significant emerging security challenge. Criminal networks in Mexico and Colombia are strategically adopting commercial drone technologies, fundamentally altering asymmetric warfare and border security paradigms. The Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG) has demonstrated sophisticated technological adaptation. They’ve progressed from rudimentary explosive-dropping quadcopters to potentially more advanced first-person view (FPV) drone capabilities.

Quantitative analysis reveals a drastic escalation in drone-based criminal activities. Mexico experienced a dramatic increase from 5 drone incidents in 2020 to 260 in the first half of 2023. These technological innovations provide criminal organizations unprecedented operational capabilities, including precision reconnaissance, targeted strikes, and psychological warfare strategies. The implications extend beyond direct confrontation, with drones effectively destabilizing local security infrastructures and inducing widespread community displacement.

Strategic mitigation requires a multifaceted approach. Mr. Ziemer suggests disrupting drone supply chains, particularly investigating procurement networks potentially originating in China, leveraging global conflict expertise, such as Ukraine’s drone warfare innovations, and implementing specialized training protocols for military and law enforcement personnel. The analysis illuminates a critical vulnerability in Latin American security architectures, the systemic inability to effectively counteract these low-cost, adaptable technological threats.

Read the full article for a deeper dive into this emerging threat.