Drones guiding smugglers from across the border
by: Julian Resendiz
Posted: Mar 31, 2026 / 06:32 PM CDT
Updated: Mar 31, 2026 / 06:32 PM CDT
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – From Quemado, Texas, to Menagers, Arizona, migrant smugglers are using commercial drones to try getting past a gauntlet of cameras and U.S. Border Patrol agents.
The latest incident took place Saturday in broad daylight as border agents patrolling Maverick County, Texas, spotted an unmanned aerial system (UAS) flying in their area of responsibility.
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The agents then received an alert from Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to three suspicious individuals coming from the direction of the Rio Grande where the drone flew. Court records show that agents arriving to the location saw a white Toyota Tundra leave the area along Edwards Road, which begins about 1,000 feet from the river.
https://www.borderreport.com/border-report-tour/border-crime/drones-guiding-smugglers-from-across-the-border/