Say hello to the drone war on drugs.
This morning, unmanned surface vessel (USV) company Saildrone announced that 20 of its Voyager vessels will be deployed to monitor trafficking in the Pacific and Caribbean Oceans as part of Operation Southern Spear. The 10-meter-long sea drones, kitted out with new sensor suites, will be used (primarily) to keep drugs out of the US.
“As we increase the security on our Southern land border, criminal activity will naturally get pushed to our maritime borders. Saildrone is proud to serve, providing a persistent, unblinking eye in maritime areas too vast and remote to previously monitor,” said Saildrone CEO Richard Jenkins.
Tip of the spear: The USVs will be part of Operation Southern Spear, led by Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S) and US Naval Forces Southern Command/US Navy Fourth Fleet. The operation is an expansion of Operation Windward Stack, which used 10 Saildrone Voyagers in a hybrid Navy fleet in the Caribbean in 2024.
- The Defense Innovation Unit facilitated the contract award, which covers 3,600 mission days, or 180 days per Voyager.
- JIATF-S is a multi-agency body that includes the Navy, Coast Guard, and Customs and Border Patrol and primarily counters drug trafficking and organized crime in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
- Voyagers are equipped with high-powered radar and cameras that can cover thousands of square miles every day at a “fraction of the cost” of crewed boats, according to Saildrone
High traffic: Cracking down on the flow of drugs (and migrants) into the US is a major part of President Trump’s platform. This weekend, the White House announced tariffs on Mexico and Canada for the two countries’ alleged failure to counter trafficking across their respective borders. Trump declared an emergency on the US-Mexico border on his first day in office and the Pentagon has so far sent at least 1,600 troops to secure it (with more on the way).
While it is tough to directly link land border enforcement with a rise in maritime drug smuggling, historical evidence does show that the more the US cracks down, the more cartels and smugglers adapt.
- Traffickers have been caught using everything from small, high-speed skiffs to fishing vessels to drones to get around land barriers, according to a 2020 congressional report.
- Maritime trafficking also appears to be on the rise: In 2024, more narcotics were seized on sea routes than at the southern border, according to US Customs and Border Protection. And while drug seizures at both borders have been down, maritime seizures are up.