Narco Drones: How Cartels Are Exploiting Ukraine’s Warzone for Training
Borderland: Dispatches with Katarina Szulc
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Show Notes
On today’s episode, Katarina breaks down how Latin American criminal groups have exploited Ukraine’s warzone to gain advanced FPV drone training. In 2025, Mexico’s National Intelligence Center warned Ukraine’s security services that individuals from Mexico and Colombia were joining the International Legion under false identities—not to fight, but to train.
A joint investigation revealed that some Spanish-speaking recruits, including ex-GAFE and former FARC members, focused solely on drone warfare. One operative, “Águila-7,” impressed instructors with his technical skills before disappearing, later linked to Mexican cartel networks.
Through PMC-style logistics and forged documents, these operatives gained access to elite training centers. Ukrainian officials now acknowledge the risk of drone tactics spreading to organized crime and have launched countermeasures with international partners. The episode explores how a battlefield became a training ground for a new kind of warfare.
Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original
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