Mexican Cartels have engaged in a relentless onslaught against American citizens for more than a decade, wreaking havoc on families across the country. This cycle of destruction has only increased in recent years with the advent of deadlier drugs and profit-focused practices by the Cartels. Violence manifests itself both through the delivery of dangerous drugs and specific violent conduct meted out directly against American citizens, with government officials and regular Americans being targeted alike. Despite their existential threat to the safety and security of the United States, past Presidential administrations have been hesitant to escalate this tense conflict, preferring to refer any enforcement actions to de-fanged law enforcement agencies instead of the military.

The focus of this note is on the legal analysis and implications that would undergird any potential decision to use lethal drone strikes inside Mexican territory against the Cartels. Because the actions and violence perpetrated by the Cartels is inflicting constant devastation against vulnerable populations in the United States, it is imperative for a new operational paradigm to be embraced in order to prevent a further cycle of violence. Without appropriate action, the Cartels will continue to inflict wanton violence against Americans citizens both home and abroad. The trail of devastation left in the Cartels’ wake is momentous, with total direct and adjacent costs from Cartel activity costing the United States hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Current anti-Cartel strategies focus on law enforcement mechanisms in an attempt to stop the harm, but these solutions do not stem the problems at their root causes; to achieve genuine progress, lethal drone strikes should be used to target and destroy Cartels leadership, drug production facilities, and other related drug supply chain assets.

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