Mexican and Colombian Cartel Members Reportedly Infiltrating Ukraine's International Legion to Boost Drone Warfare Skills

For years, authorities in both Mexico and the United States have known that drug trafficking organizations use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), such as drones, to carry out attacks on rival factions, transport drug shipments, and, in some cases, forcibly displace entire communities in northern Mexico through the use of explosives.

However, according to a recent investigation, some cartel operatives from Mexico and Colombia are now infiltrating Ukraine's foreign fighter groups to strengthen their drone warfare capabilities.

As reported by The Telegraph, Mexican intelligence officials alerted their Ukrainian counterparts in July about the presence of cartel members embedded in these groups. Officials said the individuals are joining to learn how to operate first-person view kamikaze drones, which give pilots a live aerial feed as they guide explosive-laden aircraft toward their targets.

One of the most recent recruits is a drone pilot who goes by the callsign Aguila 7, or Eagle 7. According to intelligence reports, the individual is linked to the Los Zetas cartel and enlisted with Ukraine's International Legion to acquire drone combat skills for use in cartel conflicts back home.

"Ukraine has become a platform for the global dissemination of first-person view drone tactics," a security official in Kyiv told Intelligence Online, a French security website that first reported on the investigation into Aguila 7, as cited by The Telegraph. "Some come to learn how to kill with a $400 drone, then sell that knowledge to whoever pays the highest price."

The number of cartel members who have joined Ukraine's foreign fighter ranks remains unknown. However, previous investigations have identified at least three former members of Colombia's disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) among the ranks.

Reports suggest cartel operatives are taking advantage of Ukraine's limited capacity to properly vet foreign volunteers. Several international fighters told The Telegraph that background checks are rare, and military or civilian credentials are often not reviewed, allowing individuals with criminal ties to enlist with little oversight.

Alexander Marciniak, a Latin American intelligence analyst interviewed by The Telegraph, said cartel operatives are not joining Ukraine's military to support the war effort but rather to master combat tactics they can later use against rival groups in Mexico.

"The cartels can use drones for all sorts of purposes, including attacks and surveillance on other cartels and security forces, and for smuggling contraband," Marciniak said.

As reported by The Latin Times, criminal groups in Mexico have significantly modernized their tactics in recent years, with many investing heavily in drone operations. One example is the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación, led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," which counts with its own elite unit that operates modified drones.

U.S. officials have warned that the increasing use of drones by cartels poses a growing threat to national security. In July, a senior official at the Department of Homeland Security said it is only a matter of time before American personnel are targeted.

Steven Willoughby, deputy director of DHS's Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program, said cartels already use drones routinely to smuggle drugs and contraband into the United States and are also conducting what he described as hostile surveillance of law enforcement operations.

"During the last six months of 2024, over 27,000 drones were detected less than 500 meters from the southern border. Most were flying at an altitude above 120 meters," Willoughby said.

The Jalisco cartel is not the only Mexican group adopting this kind of technology.

In June, The Latin Times reported that La Mayiza, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel led by Ismael Zambada Sicairos, the son of longtime cartel leader Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, had obtained military-grade drone-jamming equipment. According to the report, the group acquired the devices by exploiting legal loopholes and was using them to interfere with federal operations.

In other parts of northern Mexico, groups including Los Salazar, one of the most violent factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, have deployed explosive-equipped drones to terrorize civilians and forcibly displace communities in areas believed to hold gold deposits.