US spy jet mysteriously circles drug smuggling hotspot off Mexico’s coast as Trump threatens military attack
A U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon was seen circling a drug trafficking hub off the coast of Mexico on Monday morning.
Flight tracking sites detected the aircraft conducting surveillance and reconnaissance operations miles offshore of Tijuana.
The city has long been plagued by violent organized crime and is considered a key corridor for cartel operations.
The P-8 took off from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in Washington, flew over Oregon and California, made several tours off the coast of Mexico and southern California, and then returned to base.
Equipped with advanced sensors that can detect both surface and underwater targets, the P-8 is often used to monitor suspicious ships and marine movements.
The flight came just days after Donald Trump warned about drug smuggling into Mexico and suggested military action similar to the one taken in Venezuela over the weekend.
The president said drug cartels continue to dominate much of Mexico and criticized the government for failing to combat them decisively.
‘Whether you like it or not, the cartels rule Mexico,’ he said. ‘It’s not nice to say this, but the cartels rule Mexico.’
Flight tracking sites detected aircraft conducting surveillance and reconnaissance operations kilometers off Tijuana
It is not known whether the P-8 flight was directly linked to Trump’s statements or whether it was just a routine test mission in the region.
The plane’s flight path extended from the coast of Southern California to Baja California and Ensenada, Mexico; It included territorial waters and exclusive economic zones that began near San Diego and Tijuana and extended approximately 352 miles west to the Pacific Ocean.
The P-8A Poseidon can reach altitudes of up to 41,000 feet, fly at approximately 565 miles per hour, and remain airborne for long periods of time thanks to its in-flight refueling system.
The fleet, which consists of 174 aircraft and has logged over 700,000 flight hours worldwide, is built to withstand harsh sea conditions for up to 25 years.
Boeing says the P-8 integrates advanced weapons and mission systems and can be rapidly upgraded to meet evolving threats.
Each aircraft is designed for maximum interoperability, allowing it to operate seamlessly with other U.S. and allied forces in land, sea and air operations.
The timing of the P-8 flight comes at a time of rising tensions over drug trafficking and U.S. military involvement in Latin America.
Trump previously threatened Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in November, warning her to take action against drug cartels or face possible US military intervention.
Equipped with advanced sensors that can detect both surface and underwater targets, the P-8 is often used to monitor suspicious ships and marine movements.
‘Would I start a strike in Mexico to stop drugs? That’s okay with me. “Let’s do whatever we have to do to stop drugs,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
‘I didn’t say I would do this, but I would be proud to do it. Because by doing this we will save millions of lives.’
The P-8’s advanced sensors allow the aircraft to identify small ships at sea, detect unusual sea patterns, and coordinate with other military and law enforcement agencies.
The aircraft is capable of both anti-submarine warfare and surface surveillance; this makes it uniquely suited for operations along the Pacific drug corridor, long used by cartels to smuggle drugs, including fentanyl, into the United States.
The questions about Mexico come after Trump mobilized the largest US combat force in the Caribbean since the Cold War to stop gangsters from Venezuela.
Operations targeting drug routes in Venezuela have escalated recently, from the interception of boats accused of transporting drugs to the capture of the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia.
The South American leader was kidnapped by Delta Force soldiers in Caracas early Saturday and is now in New York, where he is expected to appear in court Monday on drug and weapons charges that carry the death penalty.
According to the indictment, Maduro’s wife is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to arrange a meeting between a “large-scale drug trafficker” and the director of Venezuela’s National Drug Enforcement Agency in 2007; This results in additional monthly bribes, with some of the money going directly to him.
