The United States has stepped up secret drone flights over Mexico aimed at tracking drug labs that produce phenentanyl – as part of the Trump administration’s more aggressive campaign against drug cartels.

Speaking to the New York Times, US officials said that the previously undisclosed drone program launched by the intelligence agencies was started under the Biden administration, but Trump and CIA director John Ratcliffe have several times stated their intention to act more effectively against Mexican drug cartels – a fact confirmed by the increase in flights.

For its part, the C.I.A. says it has neither been authorized to use drones to launch an attack nor to conduct airstrikes and assures that for now, its officials are merely gathering information, which they then pass on to Mexican officials.Trump’s demands for action on fentanyl are growing

The Mexican government has taken steps to address the Trump administration’s concerns about fentanyl, deploying 10,000 troops to the border this month to prevent smuggling.

But the Trump administration wants Mexico to do more to “dismantle” fentanyl labs and seize more of the drug.

Meanwhile, U.S. unmanned aircraft are effectively tracking fentanyl labs, which emit chemicals that make them easy to spot from the air.

However, during the Biden administration, the Mexican government was slow to take action against the labs detected by the Americans, though it used the information to make arrests, according to two of the officials.

In addition to the C.I.A. efforts, the U.S. Army’s Northern Command is also expanding border surveillance. But the U.S. military, unlike the spy agency, does not enter Mexican airspace.

Upset in Mexico with increased flights

So far, the Northern Command has conducted more than 24 surveillance flights over the southern border using a variety of surveillance aircraft, including U-2s, RC-135 Rivet Joints, P-8s, and drones, the Times reported.

The military also created a special intelligence task force of 140 analysts, located near the border, to analyze information gathered from surveillance flights and other sources, Northern Command said in a statement this month.

The surveillance flights have already caused consternation in Mexico, which has long been wary of the U.S.

Trump signed an executive order on January 20 calling for a crackdown on large cartels, but this week the US government plans to designate several cartels and criminal groups in Mexico as “foreign terrorist organizations” – making it easier to impose economic sanctions on the country.