The US military has significantly increased its surveillance of Mexican drug cartels over the past two weeks, with sophisticated spy planes flying at least 18 missions over the southwestern US and in international airspace around the Baja peninsula,

Former and current military officials believe gathered intelligence can be used to build a body of evidence for further foreign terrorist designations

Over the course of 10 days, spy planes flew at least 18 missions over the southwestern U.S. and the international airspace around the Baja peninsula, according to three officials.

Some of the US’s most sophisticated spy planes that typically monitor the Chinese and Russians are now flooding the air targeting Mexican drug cartels as part of President Trump’s crackdown, a new report says.