Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, confirmed that a U.S. unmanned aircraft flew over the State of Mexico in the early hours of 13 August. He said the mission was carried out “at the specific request of a Mexican government institution” to assist in ongoing domestic investigations and stressed that the craft was “not a military drone.” Flight-tracking data and security analysts identified the aircraft as an MQ-9B Guardian operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The drone orbited for several hours near Valle de Bravo and Tejupilco—areas where the cartel La Familia Michoacana maintains a strong presence and which Washington recently labeled a terrorist organization. García Harfuch underlined that such flights are authorized case-by-case and do not involve U.S. armed forces operating in Mexico. The overflight coincided with the transfer of 26 alleged cartel members to U.S. custody, underscoring the two governments’ stepped-up collaboration against organized crime. Opposition figures, including PAN leader Ricardo Anaya, called for a formal bilateral security accord and the abandonment of the current “hugs, not bullets” approach, arguing that clearer rules are needed for future cross-border operations.