Cartels Are Outpacing Traditional Border Tactics
U.S. border security operations face a growing challenge: Mexican cartels are innovating faster than our policies, infrastructure, and surveillance systems can adapt.
What once were criminal organizations operating with predictable tactics have now become transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) leveraging drones, tunnels, encryption, cyber tools and emerging technology to bypass traditional enforcement. These groups move billions of dollars in illicit drugs, weapons, and human trafficking victims each year. They’re operating across the U.S.–Mexico border, stretching from New Mexico to Texas, and they’re not slowing down.
If the United States wants to maintain control over its southern border, it needs to outpace the cartels—not match them. That means building layered, technology-driven defenses that can respond in real-time to a threat that’s constantly changing.
Cartel Tactics Have Become Technologically Advanced
Cartels are no longer just using mules and pickup trucks. They are adopting technologies once reserved for nation-states.
- Drones for surveillance and delivery: Cartels now use unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to scout border patrol positions and coordinate drug drops. According to Laredo Morning Times, more than 70 drone incursions were recorded in one South Texas region alone, prompting legislative calls for a drone-free buffer zone. (Source)
- Advanced smuggling tunnels: CBP and the Mexican government continue to find high-tech tunnels used to smuggle drugs under the border, some equipped with ventilation, electricity, and rail systems. In 2025, a new tunnel was discovered near San Luis Río Colorado using surveillance towers and drones. (CBP.gov)
- Military-grade weapons and encrypted communications: The CJNG has been linked to drone attacks, ambushes, and encrypted mobile communication systems. The cartel is now considered one of the most dangerous criminal groups in the world, with operations spanning Latin America, North America, and beyond. (Wikipedia)
These cartels don’t wait for policy—they exploit regulatory gaps, outdated systems, and delays in technology deployment. In this dynamic, homeland security cannot afford to stay reactive.
What DHS Is Up Against
The Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement agencies have made efforts to modernize, but those efforts are often fragmented and underfunded.
- According to a 2021 DHS Office of Inspector General report, only 28% of the surveillance and subterranean tech funded between 2017–2020 had actually been deployed. (DHS OIG Report)
- Border patrol agents are often forced to operate with siloed systems that don’t integrate ISR feeds, sensor data, and communications tools. This creates operational lag—and lag gives cartels the upper hand.
- In Washington D.C., congressional hearings are beginning to spotlight the problem. A 2024 hearing held by the House Committee on Homeland Security stressed the importance of border security technologies, calling them “mission-essential” for stopping both mass migration and organized crime.
Yet, the ability to integrate, deploy, and sustain these tools at the tactical edge remains inconsistent—especially across agencies like CBP, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and local law enforcement.
Cartels Are Evolving into Intelligence-Driven Networks
Cartel innovation isn’t limited to smuggling methods—it extends to command and control, recruitment, and logistics. These groups have adopted intelligence collection practices, using open-source tools to:
- Track border wall construction timelines and locations
- Monitor law enforcement personnel via social media
- Collect real-time surveillance data using off-the-shelf tech
- Use migrants as tactical distractions to funnel resources away from smuggling zones
These capabilities are strikingly similar to asymmetric warfare tactics, and U.S. officials increasingly refer to cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs)—a designation that may bring broader military tools into the fight.
Current Border Technology Isn’t Enough
While billions have been spent on physical barriers, barriers alone don’t stop drones, identify tunnels, or detect fentanyl hidden in vehicle panels. The border wall plays a role, but it’s only part of a defense strategy.
What’s needed is an integrated system that includes:
- Surveillance towers with thermal, radar, and electro-optical sensors
- Mobile command units capable of edge processing
- Artificial intelligence (AI) to detect trafficking patterns in real time
- Ground sensors that can detect digging, tunneling, and vibration
- Drones operated by DHS and the National Guard to match cartel air power
This isn’t about futureproofing. It’s about equipping DHS with the tools it needs now to stay ahead of criminal organizations that adapt by the day.
The Importance of Interoperability and Pre-Coordinated Response
Today, many of these technologies exist—but they exist in silos.
To respond effectively to drug cartels, DHS must invest in platforms that are:
- Interoperable across agencies and systems
- Deployed without MILCON delays
- Designed for data sharing between federal, state, and tribal partners
This is where strategic partnerships come in. By coordinating early, vendors and government stakeholders can ensure technologies are pre-integrated before deployment—reducing downtime, improving reliability, and enabling faster mission response.
Imagine a future where a cartel drone enters U.S. airspace, and within seconds, autonomous towers detect it, a nearby Fortis unit processes the threat, and airborne counter-UAS systems respond—without needing to route data back to HQ.
This is not theoretical. It’s doable—if systems are built together.
What the U.S. Government Is Doing About It
Congress is beginning to recognize that cartels aren’t just a law enforcement problem—they’re a national security threat. Major initiatives are now underway to modernize U.S. border defenses.
The most high-profile development came with the passage of the “Big, Beautiful Bill” in early 2025. This historic legislation authorized $46.5 billion in new border funding—the largest investment to date—targeting both infrastructure and technology across departments.
While headlines largely emphasize its support for border wall construction, the bill also provides substantial funds for:
- Deploying surveillance towers and autonomous detection systems
- Rolling out modular infrastructure for rapid field deployment
- Upgrading ports of entry with AI-powered screening tools
- Supporting joint DHS–DoD task forces and building capacity with law enforcement personnel
But funding alone isn’t sufficient. DHS is also actively testing and validating mission-critical technologies before deployment.
For example, in July 2025, Secretary Kristi Noem attended a DHS “Industry Day” at the CBP Unmanned Technology Operations Center in West Virginia. The event brought together component heads and CEOs from 22 counter–manned aircraft system vendors to demonstrate and assess advanced counter-UAS tools. Providers like DroneShield and DZYNE showcased capabilities to identify, track, and counter drone threats—highlighting DHS’s urgency in addressing TCO drone innovation.
Such demonstrations signal that DHS isn’t waiting for future infrastructure—it’s evaluating tools that can be integrated today.
CenCore was also present, showcasing our mobile command unit, can host and fuse these inputs—bringing intelligence, surveillance, and secure communications into a cohesive, deployable system. It’s not just a concept—it’s a capability ready for operations at the tactical edge.
Final Thought: Smarter Border Security is No Longer Optional
From fentanyl trafficking to weaponized drones, the Mexican drug cartels have turned the U.S.–Mexico border into one of the most complex operational theaters in North America.
Traditional methods—border wall construction, checkpoint staffing, reactive enforcement—can’t handle what’s coming next.
It’s time to shift toward:
- Mobile, modular systems that can deploy anywhere
- Real-time ISR fusion between federal and local law enforcement
- AI-assisted decision-making at the tactical edge
- Pre-integrated vendor ecosystems that simplify response—not complicate it
In short:
The U.S. needs to be more innovative than the cartels are adaptive.
Our MCU is designed to bring surveillance, edge processing, and secure communications directly to the point of mission. Built to meet the needs of DHS, CBP, and federal law enforcement, it’s field-proven, interoperable, and ready now.