The CIA under President Donald Trump has been covertly flying MQ-9 Reaper drones over Mexico to spy on drug cartels, current and former officials familiar with the matter told CNN, part of Trump’s dramatic reorientation of national security assets to the US southern border.

The covert program, begun during the Biden administration and stepped up by President Trump, is hunting for the location of fentanyl labs.

To combat drug cartels, the CIA is ramping up secret drone flights over Mexico, The New York Times reported Tuesday. This ‘covert’ drone program began under the Biden administration and has not previously been disclosed,

The CIA has sent drones on secret missions over Mexico to spy on drug cartels — and may use them for armed strikes, according to former and current officials. The covert missions, carried out with MQ-9 Reaper drones,