How narco-terrorists are identified with extremely high confidence
Including license-plate-level detail - and why this is not a drone snapshot
By James L. Wells
Facebook
Dec 17, 2025

There
is a persistent misunderstanding about how modern surveillance and
targeting actually works. Many people imagine a single drone taking a
single picture and somehow being expected to magically identify people
from that one frame. That mental model is wrong — and it has been wrong
for decades.
Modern
identification is layered, top-down, cumulative, and evidence-based. It
relies on physics, advanced optics, massive sensor improvements,
persistence, and artificial intelligence — not guesswork and not a
single image.
Here is how it actually works.
STAGE 1: LOW EARTH ORBIT (LEO) SATELLITES — FIND, CLASSIFY, AND TRACK
Low
Earth Orbit satellites operate hundreds of miles above Earth and are
designed for wide-area awareness, not close-in human identification.
They are used to:
• locate vessels and vehicles
• classify them by size, type, and behavior
• track movement over time
• establish pattern-of-life
• detect abnormal routes, speeds, and formations
• predict where a target will be
In maritime drug trafficking, LEO satellites are extremely effective at detecting:
• go-fast boats
• semi-submersibles
• abnormal wake patterns
• known smuggling corridors
At this stage, the system already knows what the object is and where it is going — but not who is onboard. That is intentional.
Satellites start the process. They do not finish it.
STAGE 2: HIGH-ALTITUDE LOITERING ISR AIRCRAFT (~30,000 FEET) — WHERE REAL IDENTIFICATION OCCURS
Once
a target is cued, highly sophisticated loitering reconnaissance
aircraft take over. These operate roughly 25,000–40,000 feet above the
surface, far below satellites and far above small tactical drones.
This tier represents a much higher level of capability than most people realize.
These aircraft:
• fly tens of times closer than satellites
• remain above most weather
• can loiter for hours
• carry very large optical systems
• have massive electrical power and stabilization
• can deliberately maneuver to control viewing angles
This level of reconnaissance predates drones by decades.
More
than 50 years ago, aircraft like the SR-71 Blackbird already carried
extremely advanced long-focal-length cameras capable of resolving
remarkable ground detail using analog film. Modern systems are digital,
vastly more sensitive, and orders of magnitude more capable.
OPTICS & SENSORS: WHY LICENSE-PLATE-LEVEL DETAIL IS FEASIBLE
High-altitude ISR aircraft are not constrained like satellites and are far more capable than small drones.
They can carry:
• large-aperture optics
• very long focal lengths (measured in feet, not inches)
• advanced glass and coatings
• precision multi-axis stabilization
• vibration isolation
• variable-geometry zoom systems
Sensor technology has improved dramatically:
• pixel counts have grown from megapixels to gigapixel-class arrays
• pixel noise is far lower
• dynamic range is far higher
• low-light sensitivity is vastly improved
• multiple spectral bands are captured simultaneously
At ~30,000 feet:
• each pixel subtends far less ground area than satellite imagery
• fine detail becomes physically resolvable
• digital zoom remains meaningful
• repeated imaging allows further enhancement
Under
favorable conditions — proper angle, lighting, stabilization, and
repeated looks — license-plate-scale detail is within the capability of
high-altitude loitering aircraft. This is not speculative and not new;
what has changed is reliability, clarity, and confidence.
WHY IDENTIFICATION IS NEVER BASED ON ONE IMAGE
No single image is perfect.
Every frame has limitations:
• motion blur
• glare
• shadow
• atmospheric effects
• angle distortion
That is why identification never relies on one picture.
Instead, loitering aircraft collect thousands — often tens of thousands — of images of the same target:
• over extended time
• from slightly different angles
• at different distances
• under changing lighting
• while subjects move naturally
Each image contains real signal, even if incomplete on its own.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: MULTI-FRAME, MULTI-ANGLE FUSION
Artificial intelligence does not invent detail. It extracts real information distributed across time.
Using thousands of frames, AI performs:
• frame alignment
• sub-pixel shift analysis
• motion compensation
• noise rejection
• optical distortion correction
This
process — known as multi-frame super-resolution — is established
science used in astronomy, medicine, radar, and military reconnaissance.
The result is a composite reconstruction that is:
• sharper than any single frame
• far higher signal-to-noise
• geometrically consistent
• statistically robust
This applies equally to:
• vehicles
• markings
• license plates
• human features
WHAT “IDENTIFICATION” ACTUALLY MEANS
Identification is not “one clear photo.”
It is cumulative confirmation across thousands of observations, including:
• facial geometry (eye spacing, jaw structure, profile)
• head-to-shoulder proportions
• gait and movement patterns
• scars, tattoos, facial hair
• consistent behavior over time
• vehicle association and repeated presence
Multiple angles allow reconstruction of true 3-D geometry, not a flat image.
Each confirming frame increases confidence. Inconsistent features are rejected.
By the time action is taken, identification is overwhelmingly supported by evidence, not assumption.
WHY THIS WORKS ESPECIALLY WELL FOR NARCO-TERRORISTS
Maritime smuggling is an ideal identification environment:
• small number of individuals
• open decks
• no crowds
• no cover
• repeated exposure
• long observation times
The system is not trying to identify a stranger in a city crowd.
It is tracking the same few individuals and vehicles continuously, over time.
FINAL STAGE: DRONES — EXECUTION, NOT DISCOVERY
Only after:
• LEO satellites locate and track
• high-altitude aircraft build identification confidence
…do lower-altitude drones come into play.
Drones are used for:
• final confirmation if required
• close-in observation
• persistence in constrained airspace
• mission execution
They are not the primary identification platform.
THE REALITY
This capability did not appear overnight.
It
is the result of decades of airborne reconnaissance, major advances in
optics, massive increases in sensor quality and quantity, and AI-driven
multi-frame analysis.
Narco-terrorists are not targeted based on a single image.
They
are identified through layered surveillance, license-plate-level
vehicle detail, thousands of observations, multiple angles, and
cumulative confirmation — with extremely high confidence.
When
a drone takes out a narco terrorist, you can trust that we know exactly
who they are, what they are carrying, and where they came from. 
The best defense is a great offense. Understand this, the narco terrorist do not have the right to smuggle drugs PERIOD!
1 comment:
This guy seems to know his stuff.
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