According to local media reports, Mexican drug cartels are now using consumer drones packed with explosives for transportation.
Reports from outlets such as El Universal say that a militia group from Tepalcatepec, Michoacán, has formed to protect farmers from the cartel. There were two of these drones found in a car used by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which is thought to control a third of the drugs taken in the United States.
It was reported that the drones were discovered with plastic taped to them, filled with C4 explosive and shrapnel. After hearing explosives go off, the militias believe that these drones are the latest weapon to combat the country’s gang war.
It was also noted that three other drones filled with explosives were captured earlier in the year on top of an armed device found in 2018, used to attack a senior Mexican official in Baja, California.
Dr. Robert J. Bunker, Director of Research and Analysis at C/O Futures, LLC told Forbes that, “The CJNG has been involved with such devices since late 2017 in various regions of Mexico.” He said that although drones are easily accessible, harnessing the ability to weaponize them still remains a challenge.
He also added that “Improvised drone bomb designs for terrorist and criminal organizations are still relatively unsophisticated from a nation-state and future potentials perspective.” It is still very scary to think about how consumer products can be adapted to cause a threat of violence.
