The Narco Blog

378 Cartel Drones Spotted at the Border in a Month: DHS Tells Cartels “Your Drones Are Failing” as Soldiers Test Drone-Catchers Near Yuma, Arizona

By The Narco Blog · September 26, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026

A black quadcopter trailing a net captures a second, gray "aggressor" drone in midair against a cloudy sky during a counter-drone test in Arizona — A counter-drone quadcopter nets an "aggressor" drone during the U.S. military's Falcon Peak 26.2 counter-drone experiment at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., Sept. 8, 2026. This is a test, not a cartel drone. Photo: John Ingle, Department of War, via DVIDS (public domain).

U.S. forces detected 378 cartel drones along the U.S.-Mexico border between Aug. 22 and Sept. 25, Fox News reported on Sept. 25, 2026, citing the Department of War. Of those, 75 were turned back, 15 were engaged and one was captured. The Department of Homeland Security answered with a pointed message to the cartels on X: “Your drones are failing, your tactics are being exposed, and you have no advantage.”

Eyes in the sky for smugglers

According to Fox News, Border Patrol says cartels mostly use the drones for reconnaissance, not to carry drugs. Jeffrey Stalnaker, a Border Patrol deputy chief patrol agent, told the outlet: “They’re watching when our soldiers and our agents are coming into the field, where they’re working, and then that allows them to plan how they’re going to send individuals north from Mexico.” DHS called it “hostile surveillance of American personnel,” Fox reported.

Soldiers taking drones down near Yuma, Arizona

The Daily Wire reported on Sept. 25 that soldiers with Joint Task Force–Southern Border are destroying cartel drones every day. It said the task force has taken out more than 300 drones since early 2026, including more than 100 in August alone, and added a mobile high-energy laser in late August. “Just this morning, skilled Army soldiers used cutting-edge tools and techniques to take out cross-border drones affiliated with the cartels,” Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle told the outlet. Task force deputy director Lt. Cmdr. Lauren Cole said: “They get more creative every day — but so do we.”

The military has also been testing anti-drone weapons, drones and drone-catching gear near Yuma, Fox reported. U.S. Northern Command’s Falcon Peak 26.2 experiment ran at Yuma Proving Ground from Aug. 31 through Sept. 25. The Department of War said on Sept. 14 that it “targets the specific, complex C-UAS challenges unique to the Southern Border.” Brig. Gen. Jason Rueschhoff, Northern Command’s director of operations, told Fox: “We are developing capability at a pace that is keeping ahead of our enemy.”

A small black interceptor drone rises above desert training buildings and saguaro cactus with purple mountains behind at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona — An interceptor drone designed to ram its target launches over Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., during Falcon Peak 26.2, Sept. 4, 2026. Photo: Michelle Martin, Department of War, via DVIDS (public domain).

NewsNation’s report on the military’s counter-drone numbers:

What is still unclear

Neither report named the cartels behind specific flights or said where along the border the drones were detected. Officials did not say what happened to the drone that was captured. Fox and The Daily Wire give different time frames for their “300-plus” figures. The 378 detections cover Aug. 22 to Sept. 25; the Daily Wire’s 300-plus figure for drones neutralized covers all of 2026.

Sources

Reported Sept. 26, 2026, based on the published reports and official statements listed above. The figures come from U.S. government officials and have not been independently verified.