Photo: Intelligence Online
The SBU, Ukraine’s domestic intelligence service, is investigating whether Spanish-speaking volunteers linked to Latin American drug cartels have infiltrated the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the hopes of receiving FPV drone training. The claim was reported by French outlet Intelligence Online, citing intelligence sources.
According to the report, Mexico’s National Intelligence Center shared a confidential memo with the SBU in June, warning that Mexican volunteers had joined the International Legion, which operates under Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), with the goal of learning how to operate FPV drones. In response, the SBU and HUR launched a joint investigation targeting several Spanish-speaking units within the International Legion — chiefly, the tactical group “Ethos,” which is active in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions.
Ukrainian investigators suspect that some Mexican and Colombian volunteers intentionally sought placement in drone operator units with the aim of later using this training in the service of foreign criminal organizations. A few individuals reportedly demonstrated an “unusual obsession” with UAV instruction, at the expense of other military training. Among them is a Mexican national using the alias “Águila-7,” who registered in March 2024 under a false Salvadoran identity.
Several private military and security companies are also mentioned in the probe:
- Grupo ROKA Seguridad, a Mexico-based industrial security firm, was named in confidential reports by Polish customs officials. The company has been linked to the smuggling of firearms and personnel entering Ukraine through the Medyka–Shehyni border crossing.
- In Colombia, SEGURCOL SAS, based in Cali and Medellín, reportedly recruited former Colombian Army rangers on behalf of foreign clients.
Both companies are believed to have ties to narcotics trafficking networks, which allegedly use their infrastructure to finance travel, issue falsified documents, and obtain humanitarian visas.
The investigation is ongoing.