United States increases aerial surveillance near Yucatán Peninsula

The United States has intensified aerial surveillance over the Gulf of Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula using P-8 Poseidon and MQ-4C Triton drones and tracking aircraft. According to a report by the Mexican maritime intelligence firm Ehrlich Maritime Security (EMS), these activities have increased over the last nine months.

EMS characterizes these incursions as “unusual” and “anomalous,” noting that the flight patterns over the coasts of Campeche, Yucatán, Tabasco, and Veracruz do not align with primary drug trafficking routes. The firm suggests the primary objective of these intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions by the U.S. Navy may be to monitor vessels potentially transporting oil from Mexico to Cuba, thereby attempting to circumvent the oil blockade imposed by Washington.