Low-Cost Drones: A New Challenge in the Fight Against Organized Crime in Latin America

A new article in Diálogo Americas examines a new challenge that security forces across Latin America are facing: cheap narcodrones.

The threat in Latin American prisons

The article considers how Ecuador’s prison system has developed into a hotbed of criminal drone use. Nearly 600 drones linked to organized crime have attempted to reach the El Encuentro facility since its construction began in 2024. These drones have been used to smuggle weapons and maintain lines of communication between inmates and gangs outside. This is a factor within the wider epidemic of prison violence in the country, with more than 680 inmates killed in gang wars since 2018. Security expert Daniel Potón describes the situation bluntly:

“Prisons, in practice, are the hubs of criminal operations. Bringing technology, communications, or resources into these spaces strengthens their operational capabilities,”

Criminal innovation and commercial drones

The report then focuses on flashpoints in Colombia. There, authorities recently intercepted a drone-borne IED near Bogotá’s main airport, tied to a FARC dissident faction. Brazilian criminal groups have similarly used drones to ferry phones and drugs into prisons. Mexican cartels in Michoacán and Jalisco arming drones with explosives for use against rivals and security forces:

Beyond prisons, drones are being used to support criminal activities in remote areas where they can monitor security-force movements, transport small but high-value cargo, and provide situational awareness to criminal networks operating across difficult terrain.

Security forces’ adaptations

The article covers how state security forces have adapted to the new threat. Ecuador has stood up a dedicated drone squadron that has flown over 1,120 missions since September 2025, deepened security cooperation with the United States, and joined the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition. This coalition aims to improve regional coordination against cartel and narcoterrorist activity.

Across the region, security forces are increasingly adapting to an operating environment in which the low-altitude airspace has become an additional domain exploited by criminal networks. This has driven greater emphasis on intelligence sharing, technological innovation, and the development of counter-drone capabilities.

Increasing challenges and possible lessons
The report considers the scope of increasing challenges for law enforcement in dealing with these gangs, the prison system, and criminal innovation possible. It reaffirms the need for Latin American states to respond effectively:

For security and defense institutions across Latin America and the Caribbean, the challenge is not only to keep pace with technological change but also to anticipate how criminal organizations will adapt emerging technologies to support illicit activities.

Investments in surveillance systems, signal-jamming technologies, intelligence integration, and regional cooperation will be critical to countering these evolving threats.

For more on drone usage in Latin American gang activity, read here.