The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, mentioned two of the recent arrests, highlighting the capture of 'Wero Bryan', an alleged operator of Los Chapitos, and Kevin Alonso, supposed head of security for Iván Archivaldo Guzmán, known as 'El Chapito'. For his part, the Secretary of Defense, Ricardo Trevilla, assured that there are no indications of espionage in the unmanned drones that were reported last week by media outlets like CNN and The New York Times as part of the actions of the Donald Trump Administration to monitor Mexican cartels.
The flights of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) aim to locate fentanyl laboratories in Mexico, according to The New York Times. On the other hand, CNN pointed out that the drones used are of the MQ-9 model and are unarmed, although they could be equipped with payloads. General Trevilla stated that the request for flight support is made at the request of the Armed Forces and is authorized clearly specifying the area, route, and information that needs to be obtained.
Regarding the sovereignty of national airspace, it was explained that the authorizations for commercial flights are carried out by the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC), while military flights are authorized by the Secretariat of National Defense. The head of the Attorney General's Office (FGR), Alejandro Gertz Manero, defended international collaboration highlighting a case in January where cooperation was made with the Federal Prosecutor's Office for the District of Arizona, United States, to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking organization.
In summary, the Mexican Army has carried out arrests of drug traffickers thanks to shared intelligence through drones and other intelligence flights from the United States. Both Mexican and American authorities have emphasized the importance of this collaboration to combat organized crime in Mexico, stressing that it is about obtaining technical and essential information, not espionage.
