--- title: "Video Appears to Show Drug Cartel Using Drone to Bomb Enemies" description: "Just over a month after an MIT professor warned of \"slaughterbots\" being used by civilians, Vice is now reporting that cartels are using them to drop bombs." date: "2022-01-14" modified: "2022-01-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cartel-drone-bomb" categories: - "Drones" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "drones" - "mexico" - "the digest" --- # Video Appears to Show Drug Cartel Using Drone to Bomb Enemies ![Just over a month after an MIT professor warned of "slaughterbots" being used by civilians, Vice is now reporting that cartels are using them to drop bombs.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## 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]() \[*Vice*\] **More on drones:** *[New Military Tech Lets One Person Fly Swarm of 130 Drones]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()