Mexican authorities have recently made a significant discovery in the border city of San Luis Rio Colorado, seizing 24 drug cartel surveillance cameras strategically placed on various structures, including telephone poles, light posts, and even palm trees. These cameras were reportedly used by “falcons,” who are lookouts employed by drug cartels to monitor the movements of law enforcement and military personnel.
San Luis Rio Colorado, a city across from Yuma, Arizona, has been plagued by drug cartel violence as rival factions compete for control of the lucrative drug smuggling routes. This is not the first instance of drug cartels using surveillance networks in border cities. In 2015, a cartel in Tamaulipas installed 39 surveillance cameras in Reynosa to monitor authorities and their activities.
These surveillance cameras were powered by electric lines and accessed the internet through phone cables along the same poles, allowing them to operate wirelessly. The cameras were strategically placed to monitor sensitive locations such as an army base, marine post, government offices, and shopping centers.
The recent discovery of drug cartel surveillance cameras in San Luis Rio Colorado comes at a time of heightened tensions between cartel factions and authorities. The U.S. Treasury Department recently sanctioned two Mexican businesses for allegedly using proceeds from fentanyl trafficking to fund operations linked to the Sinaloa cartel.
These sanctions were imposed following the arrest of Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in the United States, which has reportedly led to internal power struggles within the cartel. The ongoing conflict between cartel factions and authorities has resulted in increased violence and instability in the region.
The presence of surveillance cameras in border cities highlights the sophisticated tactics employed by drug cartels to evade law enforcement and maintain control over their territories. Authorities must remain vigilant and continue to dismantle these surveillance networks to disrupt cartel operations and ensure the safety of local communities.
