A Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Aircraft Operations Division drone pilot detected three illegal immigrants moments after they crossed the Rio Grande early Thursday, guiding troopers and Border Patrol agents to the group. The female migrant was found wearing six colored wristbands on each wrist — a cartel method for tagging migrants by payment level and assigned crossing point — as she traveled with a three‑year‑old child.
DPS spokesman, Lt. Chris Olivarez, posted a video on social media showing imagery from an Aircraft Operations Division drone that shows a group of migrants forming up to cross the Rio Grande from Mexico into Texas. Troopers used the drone to guide ground-based troopers and Border Patrol agents to the scene of the illegal border crossing.
The law enforcement team tracked down the illegal aliens and found three people. The arrested included an adult male, an adult female, and a three-year-old child — all were identified as Mexican nationals.
The team observed the mother and child wearing brightly colored wristbands on each wrist. The woman told the team the bands were placed on her and her child’s arms as cartel human smuggling “cargo” markers. The colors indicate how much she has paid and where she is assigned to cross the border.
“This is a common cartel tactic used to mark payment amounts and designated crossing areas between the ports of entry,” Lt. Olivarez explained.
The drone operator and DPS ground teams are assigned to assist Border Patrol agents in securing the border under Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star.
The interception underscores how DPS air assets and ground teams are increasingly central to frontline border enforcement as cartel‑run smuggling networks continue to push migrants — including small children — across dangerous stretches of the Rio Grande. With Operation Lone Star expanding its technological footprint and coordination with federal agents, state officials say these drone‑guided interdictions are becoming a critical tool in exposing cartel control over illegal crossings and preventing vulnerable migrants from being exploited along the border.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
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