Mexican president downplays US drone report as part of 'little campaign'

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday looked to downplay a report of covert U.S. drone flights spying on drug cartels in Mexico, saying it was part of a "little campaign," without giving further details.

Sheinbaum was asked by a journalist in her daily press conference about a report by news network CNN that the CIA is using MQ-9 Reaper drones to carry out surveillance in Mexico.

"It's part of this little campaign," Sheinbaum said, using a diminutive in Spanish that looked to minimize the issue. It was not clear whether the "little campaign" she was referring to was Trump's security campaign or referred to the U.S. government's media campaign around targeting the cartels.

Her office did not immediately respond to a request for clarification from Reuters.

Covert drone operations over Mexican airspace have not been previously disclosed and Reuters was unable to verify CNN's report.

Sheinbaum's comments come amid terse relations with the U.S., whose president Donald Trump has pledged to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations as part of his efforts to stop the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into the U.S.

Trump has also sent thousands of additional troops to the Mexican border and threatened tariffs against Mexico, the U.S.'s largest trading partner, if it does not help control illegal migration and drug trafficking.

The U.S. military said it is increasing its airborne surveillance of Mexican drug cartels to collect intelligence to determine how to best counter their activities.

Sheinbaum said last week Mexico was aware of airborne surveillance by the U.S. military but not concerned since it was over U.S. territory. She also said she doubted the Trump administration would take military action, which would be seen as a breach of sovereignty by many Mexicans.

Her government would request transparency and collaboration over the flights, Sheinbaum said last week.