Some of the US’s most sophisticated spy planes that typically monitor the Chinese and Russians are now flooding the air targeting Mexican drug cartels as part of President Trump’s crackdown, a new report says.
The ultra-hi-tech aircraft include Navy P-8s with advanced radar — and a U-2 originally designed to conduct high-altitude surveillance of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, CNN said Monday.
It’s the first time a U-2 is believed to have been used by the US to root out cartels, military experts told the outlet.
The decked-out spy planes have flown at least 18 missions over the southwestern US and in international airspace near the Baja peninsula for the past two weeks as part of American authorities’ increased surveillance on Mexico’s notorious cartels, the outlet said.
The spy planes flew the missions over 10 days between the end of January and early February as Trump directed the deployment of thousands of additional troops to the border and designated the Mexican cartels as foreign terrorists.
The border spy missions were typically previously done once a month, while the special planes were mainly used to watch for Russian activity in Ukraine or tracking Russian or Chinese submarines, before Trump ramped up the US’s counternarcotic efforts.
Eleven of the flights were conducted using the Navy P-8.
At least one flight, on Feb. 3, used the U-2 spy plane.
Even while flying along the border, the planes are able to collect intel far within Mexico.
On his first day back in office, Trump designated Mexico’s cartels as terror organizations while also declaring a national emergency on the border.
Trump’s border crackdown has included the end of the US’s “catch and release” policy, as well as the deployment of thousands of additional troops. The president also recently forced Mexico to deploy 10,000 of its own soldiers to patrol the other side of the border by threatening 25% tariffs.
Since Trump entered office, there has been an increase in border violence, with Border Patrol agents in Texas taking fire from suspected cartel members in Mexico.
Mexican drug cartels have also ordered attacks on US border agents with kamikaze drones and other explosives in a desperate bid to thwart the crackdown at the border, according to a leaked memo obtained by The Post.
“I think the cartels would be foolish to take on the military, but we know they’ve taken on the Mexican military before. But now we have the United States military,” border czar Tom Homan told ABC News on Thursday.
“Do I expect violence to escalate? Absolutely, because the cartels are making record amounts of money,” the former ICE chief added.
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