After years of Breitbart reporting on cartel drone usage, legacy news outlets are beginning to do the catch on.
A recent report from the Washington Post revealed that Mexican terrorist cartels are advancing their drone tactics at an alarming rate, with many of the developments coming from the war between Russia and Ukraine.
In their report, WaPo makes reference to a U.S. government report pointing to Mexican cartels hiring Colombian mercenaries who fought in Ukraine and teaching those methods and tactics in both Mexico and Colombia. The report points to cartel operators finding ways to defeat anti-drone technology, as well as finding ways to make drones travel longer distances and carry heavier payloads.
The main organizations recruiting these Colombian guerrilla fighters are Cartel Jalisco New Generation and Carteles Unidos. Breitbart Texas first reported on this practice in 2017, quoting a Mexican military intelligence report that revealed the presence of Colombian mercenaries.
As Breitbart Texas reported, Mexican cartels primarily use drones for surveillance of law enforcement in border areas, and in the rest of the country they use them for dropping IEDs on rivals. In places like Michoacan and Guerrero, cartels have been using this tactic for years and have actively been recruiting Colombian mercenaries and terrorists from organizations like the FARC and other guerrilla groups. These Colombian fighters were the ones who helped cartels revolutionize their tactics and, since their arrival, the use of explosive devices, land mines, and drone IEDs.
Breitbart Texas reported in 2025 that Mexican authorities arrested a group of Colombian mercenaries who were working and fighting on behalf of Cartel Jalisco New Generation.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.