Janice R. Andrews
Mexican authorities have recently located and dismantled 24 surveillance cameras installed by drug cartels in San Luis Rio Colorado, a city bordering Arizona. These cameras were discreetly placed on telephone poles, light posts, and even palm trees by “falcons,” cartel lookouts who monitor the movements of military and police forces. The discovery underscores the cartels’ ongoing efforts to control a key border crossing used for drug smuggling into the United States.
The cameras, wrapped in duct tape and resembling ordinary porch-style devices, were swiftly removed by army troops. They were found across three different neighborhoods in the city. Although San Luis Rio Colorado is well-known as a destination for Americans seeking affordable medications and dental services, it has increasingly been plagued by drug cartel violence.
This isn’t the first instance of cartels using surveillance networks. In 2015, a cartel in Reynosa, located in the northern state of Tamaulipas, installed 39 cameras to monitor authorities. That same year, officials discovered 55 radio communication antennas in nearby border cities like Matamoros and Miguel Aleman, highlighting the growing sophistication of cartel operations.
These developments emphasize how cartels are continuously adapting their methods, complicating law enforcement’s efforts to combat organized crime in these border regions.
