Video Appears to Show Drug Cartel Using Drone to Bomb Enemies

The footage is seriously disturbing.

Drone Bombers

Just over a month after MIT professor Max Tegmark warned that "slaughterbots" could land in the hands of bloodthirsty drug cartels, Vice is now reporting that cartel militias are already using drones to drop improvised bombs on their enemies.

Disturbing video footage shows drones dropping homemade explosives onto fleeing people in the Mexican state of Michoacán.

The footage was allegedly recovered after the drone was shot down. Vice, however, has yet to independently verify the authenticity of the shocking video.

The report should come as a warning: experts have already cautioned about criminals taking advantage of technologies to kill — a grim democratization of military technology which, if this video is indeed authentic, appears to already be starting.

Drug Wars

The drone reportedly belonged to members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), according to Mexican newspaper El Pais. The cartel has transformed into one of the most vicious criminal organizations in the country over the last decade, Vice reports.

The CJNG have been weaponized drones since at least late 2017.

It's a brutal trend. With no end in sight for Mexico's drug war, factions will likely continue sparring — and they're adapting to a future in which killer technologies like drones are more accessible than ever.

READ MORE: Video Shows Narco Drones Dropping Bombs as People Flee [Vice]

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