1 MEXICAN CARTELS ARE EMBRACING AERIAL DRONES AND THEY’RE SPREADING ROBERT J. BUNKER AND JOHN P. SULLIVAN NOVEMBER 11, 2021 COMMENTARY Aerial drones, once the domain of states alone, have become standard features of the arsenals ofterrorists, insurgents, and guerrillas. These actors find the flexibility of aerial drones appealing. But they are not the only ones: As we discuss in our new book Criminal Drone Evolution, criminal and cartel uses of small weaponized drones are increasingly in the news. Cartel commandos are attacking rival gangs and security forces with armed drones, enhancing their combat power. We can clearly track their technological and tactical progress on this front. It is a part of the increased tactical and operational sophistication of criminal groups in Mexico’s crime wars. This violent conflict goes well beyond typical criminal violence, including terrorist tactics, infantry operations, and barbarization in a quest for territorial control,