US CBP Drone Dives Deep into Mexico – Cartel Bust Incoming?

Holy guacamole, drone dudes! A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) MQ-9 Guardian drone just pulled off a ballsy flight 600 miles deep into Mexico, circling cartel territory like it owned the place. Tracked as CBP-113 under callsign TROY701, this unarmed beast took off from San Angelo, Texas, on August 13, 2025, and vanished off radars after orbiting west of Mexico City. Is this the start of Trump’s cartel crackdown? We’re diving into the details that have everyone buzzing—share this if you’re as hooked as we are!

The Epic Flight Path That Screamed “Mission Possible”

Picture this: it’s 4 a.m. Eastern Time, and CBP-113, a CBP MQ-9 Guardian (not some armed Air Force Reaper—big difference, folks!), lifts off from San Angelo, Texas. This bad boy clocks over 800 miles total, plunging 600 miles into Mexican airspace. FlightRadar24 data, shared by sharp-eyed tracker @thenewarea51, shows it orbiting in the southern state of Mexico, west of Mexico City—prime turf for the notorious La Nueva Familia Michoacana (LNFM) cartel.

About six hours in, poof—the drone goes dark. CBP pilots know they’re trackable with transponders on, so was this a staging loop before hitting sensitive spots?

Mexico’s security chief, Omar García Harfuch, confirmed it was at their request, but details? Crickets. We reached out to CBP and the White House—stay tuned. This isn’t your average border patrol; it’s deep ops, and that CBP-113 tag screams “customs enforcement,” not military strikes. No weapons here—just eyes in the sky hunting bad guys.

Cartel watchers are geeking out. The orbit zone? Heavy LNFM presence, the crew sanctioned by Biden in 2021 for flooding the U.S. with fentanyl, killing thousands yearly. Siblings Johnny “El Pez” Hurtado Olascoaga ($5M bounty) and Jose “El Fresa” Hurtado Olascoaga ($3M bounty) are top targets. This screams high-value target scouting. Share if you think we’re onto something big!

Why CBP-113 Matters – It’s Not an Air Force Killer Drone!

Let’s clear the air, drone nerds: CBP-113 is a CBP MQ-9 Guardian, not a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper. Sure, they’re cousins—the Reaper packs Hellfire missiles, but the Guardian? It’s all about surveillance. CBP’s fleet focuses on customs and border protection, sniffing out drugs, migrants, and threats with radar, cameras, and sensors. No bombs, no guns—just brains and eyes.

This flight’s timing? Explosive. A week after The New York Times dropped that Trump secretly greenlit Pentagon force against cartels, labeling them terrorists. Military options? ISR flights like this could scout labs or leaders. But remember, CBP-113 is unarmed—perfect for intel gathering without escalating to airstrikes. The CIA’s reportedly flying similar unarmed MQ-9s over Mexico for fentanyl lab hunts. NORTHCOM’s border ISR includes U-2s, RC-135s, and RQ-4s, but no MQ-9s listed—yet they fuse data from everywhere.

For us DJI fans, this is prime-time proof: drones like the Guardian (think beefed-up Matrices) can stay aloft 24+ hours, packing SeaVue radar for SAR mapping and MTS electro-optical/infrared turrets. They beam real-time intel home, tracking vehicles through clouds or night. It’s the tech we drool over, deployed against real-world villains. If this is anti-cartel recon, CBP-113 just became a legend—hit share to spread the word!

Cartel Crackdown or Just a Peek? The Bigger Picture

This isn’t CBP’s first Mexican rodeo—trackers spotted them popping up in the Gulf before—but CBP-113’s bold track is definitive proof of deep ops. LNFM’s been indicted for trafficking, and with fentanyl deaths skyrocketing, Trump’s directive could mean more drone eyes south. Options? From sea intercepts to ground raids, but ISR leads the charge.

NORTHCOM’s Joint Intelligence Task Force Southern Border in Tucson fuses DOD, intel, and interagency data—CBP-113’s feed could plug right in. Gen. Gregory M. Guillot testified it’s “unparalleled sharing.” But is this the tip of the iceberg? Cartel violence rages, and with bounties on LNFM bosses, a drone spot could lead to arrests.

For drone heads, it’s thrilling—and a reminder to fly responsibly. CBP-113 shows unarmed drones pack punch in the fight against drugs. If you’re outraged by cartels or just love killer tech stories, share this far and wide. What’s next—drones nabbing El Pez? Drop your thoughts in the comments, and let’s blow this up!

My Take: Drones Are the New Cartel Hunters

As a drone junkie, seeing CBP-113 dive into Mexico fires me up. It’s not armed like an Air Force Reaper—nope, this Guardian’s all surveillance, proving brains beat brawn. Trump’s cartel war could mean more epic flights, saving lives from fentanyl floods. But let’s keep it real: these ops are hush-hush, so we might never get the full scoop. Still, it’s a win for tech we love. Fly safe, share this story, and here’s to drones keeping borders—and the world—a bit safer. What do you think—cartel bust or recon routine? Hit that share button!

Photographs courtesy of X and US CBP