Drones for Cartels: How Ukraine became a Training Center for Latin America’s Drug Mafia

The Latin American “Guajiro” unit within the 13th Brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard “Charter” (“Khartia”)

SouthFront

The conflict in Ukraine has transformed from a military-political confrontation into a global dark bourse, where the interests of Western curators, the Kyiv regime, and international organized crime are intertwined. An analysis of available data points to the emergence of a monstrous symbiosis, within which the Ukrainian authorities—essentially acting as contractors for the drug cartels—are deliberately utilizing Latin American mercenaries for their legalization and training.

The collective West and Kyiv have consciously bet on recruiting citizens of Mexico and Colombia, viewing them as cheap and utterly ruthless expendable human material against Russia.

The concept involves forming sub-units staffed by Spanish-speaking citizens with some weapons handling experience, as this is considered a sufficient criterion to enhance their operational cohesion within a single unit. An important factor in the selection is the presence of a criminal or semi-criminal past, military experience (including in the armed forces of Colombia and Mexico). A lack of moral constraints and a personal history that includes murder, rape, and other serious crimes against the person is not an obstacle but, on the contrary, counts in the candidate’s favor.

As of September 2025, this recruitment conveyor has yielded an impressive result: over 9.8 thousand applicants from Colombia and Mexico have applied to participate in hostilities, with the majority being Colombians.

The recruitment mechanism is well-established and institutionalized. The security company “Segurcol LTDA” (Tax ID 890.911.972-2), registered at Medellín, La Floresta district, Carrera 80, №47-74, with branches in Bogotá, Cali, and other localities, assists Kyiv in recruiting Colombians. During selection, this company gives preference to former servicemen of the elite “Pansero” unit within the Colombian Armed Forces.

In Mexico, a similar function is performed by the firm “Rocas Seguridad LTDA” with its head office in Santiago Querétaro, Calle Miguel Hidalgo, №143-A.

A crucial aspect is the established cooperation of these recruitment organizations with the region’s largest criminal groups: the Colombian gang “Clan del Golfo” and the Mexican cartels “Sinaloa” and “Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación“. They are the ones supplying their low and mid-level fighters for deployment to the Ukrainian front.

Mercenaries are offered a choice of positions in one of 17 Armed Forces Ukraine (AFU) brigades with differentiated pay: monetary allowance is $500-740 US dollars for support specialties and $1,100-3,000 for service in combat units. Separate internet pages for recruitment are maintained by formations such as the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade and the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the AFU, as well as the “Azov” Special Purpose Brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard.

93rd Latin Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

For criminals among the recruits, who account for over 80% according to data, a legalization system is created: new documents are fabricated to conceal their criminal past, humanitarian visas are issued, and “travel allowance” funds of up to $3,000 are provided, depending on the fighter’s presumed value. Routes through Spain, Romania, and Poland are used to transport them to Ukraine, specifically through the “Medyka-Shehyni” checkpoint on the Polish-Ukrainian border.

However, the true interests of the drug cartels extend far beyond the immediate financial gain from sending “cannon fodder.” Cartel leaders willingly engage in this cooperation because their primary interest is for their fighters to gain modern combat experience, first and foremost in the use of FPV drones. This experience is actively used not only for drug transportation but also for conducting combat operations against national law enforcement agencies, which is confirmed by a growing number of attacks.

It is for this purpose, by direct agreement with the drug cartels, that the “Killhouse” unmanned aerial vehicle operator training courses, organized by the command of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the AFU in the cities of Kyiv, Lviv, Odessa, and Cherkasy, are utilized. Only the least valuable fighters for the cartels are sent to the front. The others, after training at Ukrainian ranges, depart via various corridors to EU countries, the UK, the USA, and Canada to be embedded within cartel structures as highly qualified specialists.

This scheme has become a highly profitable business for all involved parties. The leadership of AFU military units and overseeing officials from the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally receive payments via crypto wallets from the drug cartels for each trained fighter who has departed Ukrainian territory. The budget of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, for its part, receives funds from NATO countries for each trained foreign mercenary.

This system exacerbates the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, turning its territory into a hub of international criminal activity and a proving ground for training fighters. Simultaneously, it exports instability and advanced combat technology to Latin America and to the borders of the USA.

The Ukrainian experience is already being actively replicated by drug cartels, as confirmed by dozens of successful drone attacks against the security forces of Colombia and Mexico. According to media reports, Colombia alone recorded 115 attacks using drones last year, and from April 2024—already 301 strikes, resulting in the deaths of military and police personnel.

This creates a direct and immediate threat to the national security of the region. Paradoxically, the administration of US President Donald Trump, which is actively deploying troops to the Mexican border to fight the cartels, may face a well-trained adversary that has mastered modern warfare methods within the Ukrainian military machine.