Only 1 to 3% of civilian Mexicans own guns. Fundamentally guns can only be kept in the home. There is just one or two gun stores in Mexico and those are on military bases. It takes months to buy a gun with extensive background checks- so there are few guns outside those owned by military, police and private security with permits. There are also several million illegal weapons owned by organized crime, drug cartels etc.
When there is such a vast asymmetric difference between regular Mexican gun ownership and those owned by criminals the political situation is bound to be rather lawless or dominated by surreptitious criminal structures. When criminals and citizens know that there isn’t even a vague equality in weapons ownership social circumstances become tilted to favor the axis of evil.
Mexicans leave their country to invest their lives abroad instead of building up their own nation that is dominated by criminals. For Mexico to ever be squared away so the citizenry can stand up against criminal gangs and corrupt law enforcement fellow travellers, liberal gun laws would need to be implemented.
Artificial intelligence allows ordinary people to have intel with a word. Anyone can use it and even create specialized AI agents to work particular tasks for them. Apparently some nations are recognizing the potential for attacks generated by artificial intelligence and are taking countermeasures; the U.K for one.
The U.S.A. also has a few efforts to guard against A.I. attacks from various vectors ( e.g. https://www.nsa.gov/AISC/ ). The plain utility of A.I. intelligence enables planning newer, more efficient illegal activities off-line that wouldn't actually use the internet for attacks. Anti-AI security presently tends to look toward on-line A.I. attacks via the internet.
Drug cartels and other smugglers can use A.I. databases to find most efficient route and topographical features to send drones etc. On board A.I. can pilot the aircraft along planned routes without need of a satellite connection. They can also track the locations of border security operators with drones and coordinate the input for real-time live ground infiltration routes in areas empty of law enforcement.
A.I.'s ability to exploit the world of cartography to find good submarine routes for A.I. powered craft is also notable. There is a wealth of opportunities for systems analysis and database recombinations useful for innovative crimes- those may present challenges for law enforcement eventually. I recall when it was a popular media philosophical topic discussing the dangers of A.I. and what the ethics of controlling it should be. That was centuries ago of course- perhaps 3 or 4 years. No one remembers that lol.
Drug cartels are among those profiting from experience in the Ukraine war for applications on smuggling toxic substances into the U.S.A. Gemini provided a summary of some of the drone situation with the Coast Guard and Border Patrol.
Gary- The armed forces of Ukraine are fielding anti-drone drones; do illegal drug importers use that sort of thing to take down border patrol drones?
Gemini- "In 2026, illegal drug importers, primarily Mexican cartels, have significantly escalated their use of drone technology to counter U.S. law enforcement, though their "anti-drone" tactics differ from the kinetic dogfights seen in Ukraine. Rather than solely using "anti-drone drones" to physically ram or take down border patrol assets, cartels primarily use electronic warfare,surveillance, andoffensive weaponizationto disrupt government operations.
Cartel Anti-Drone and Counter-Surveillance Tactics
Electronic Warfare: Cartels have begun deploying jammers and other electronic warfare systems to disrupt the control signals of rival cartels' drones and potentially those of law enforcement.
Decoy Drones: Smugglers use decoy drones to act as diversions, intentionally drawing Customs and Border Protection (CBP) attention to a "fake" drop site while a secondary drone safely delivers the actual narcotics elsewhere.
Cyber Attacks and Hacking: Criminal organizations have recruited IT specialists to hack or take control of unencrypted law enforcement drones, sometimes using malware like Maldrone or specialized drones like SkyJack to hijack controls mid-flight.
Targeting Agents Directly: There are increasing reports and internal warnings of cartels authorizing kamikaze drone attacks specifically targeting U.S. Border Patrol agents and service members with explosives.
Technological Transfer from Ukraine
There is evidence of direct tactical learning from global conflicts. As of late 2025 and early 2026, investigations have identified cartel members being sent to
to receive training in the International Legion specifically on offensive drone operations, skills they then bring back to enhance Mexican cartel programs.
U.S. and Mexican Responses in 2026
$115 Million DHS Investment: In January 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a massive investment in both drone and counter-drone technologies to specifically address cartel capabilities.
Joint Intelligence Sharing: On January 20, 2026, the U.S. and Mexico agreed to link intelligence analytics software to identify and thwart drone threats along the border.
State-Level Authority: New laws in 2025 and early 2026, such as those in
