Mexico’s most effective drug cartels are hiring previous Colombian soldiers, triggering Mexican authorities to turn away lots of Colombians attempting to go into the nation in current weeks, Mexico’s security chief stated Tuesday.
Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch’s remarks followed the arrest recently of 12 Colombians in the western state of Michoacan in connection with a mine attack that eliminated 8 Mexican soldiers.
Through contact with Colombian authorities, García Harfuch stated that 9 of the 12 people were previous soldiers and the staying 3 were civilians with weapons training.
Close underworld ties have actually long existed in between the mob groups in Mexico and Colombia. For several years, Colombian drug traffickers produced drug and heroin and moved it themselves by boat or aircraft to the United States. Later on, as U.S. authorities punished trafficking in the Caribbean, Mexican cartels’ power grew as they moved Colombian drugs over land and through little aircraft to the U.S. border and smuggled them throughout.
Years of internal dispute in Colombia have actually produced 10s of countless previous soldiers, paramilitaries and guerrillas with weapons training and fight experience.
Colombians have actually been employed weapons in the 2021 assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moïse and in the continuous war in Ukraine.
In current weeks, Mexican migration authorities turned down 69 Colombians attempting to go into Mexico, a few of whom in interviews stated “they had actually been coopted by some criminal group.” García Harfuch stated Tuesday that both the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels were hiring Colombians.
Colombia’s ambassador to Mexico, Fernando García, stated recently that he feared the arrests would adversely affect continuous settlements with Mexico to lower the variety of Colombians avoided from going into the nation at Mexican airports.
In March, the Colombian federal government had actually stated that talks with Mexico were advancing with systems for Mexico and Colombia to confirm info about those looking for to go into Mexico.
In October 2023, Mexican authorities jailed 8 Colombians likewise in Michoacan state, who presumably were assisting to make dynamites stopped by cartel drones.
Previous soldiers from other nations have actually dealt with Mexican cartels too. More than a years back, the terrifying Zetas, whose leaders originated from Mexico’s military, hired previous members of Guatemala’s unique forces Kaibiles in their ranks.
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