Colombian Soldiers Arrested While Working for Jalisco Cartel in Mexico

Authorities in Mexico announced the arrest of several Colombian soldiers who were part of a paramilitary group working for Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG). The U.S. government designated the CJNG as a terrorist organization earlier this year.

The arrest occurred over the weekend in the Mexican state of Michoacan after a fierce shootout where Mexican military forces killed 12 gunmen and arrested nine others. During the clash, three Mexican troops sustained injuries.

The clash occurred in a rural community in the southwest part of the state, near the coast. The coastal region of Michoacan has tremendous strategic value for criminal organizations as it is one of the routes used to move large quantities of cocaine into Mexico via smaller boats that move from Central and South America, bouncing along Mexico’s coast. Once in Michoacan, the drugs are then moved inland.

The clash is the latest in a series of shootouts that have been spreading terror throughout the state of Michoacan. Most of the violence in the area is tied to a series of turf wars between various cartels, including CJNG, La Familia Michoacana, and other smaller organizations.

As part of that turf war, the criminal organizations involved have been hiring foreign mercenaries, including Colombian soldiers and members of Colombian terrorist groups like the FARC as muscle or instructors. As Breitbart Texas reported, since the arrival of these instructors, cartels have been changing their tactics to include the use of improvised explosive devices. One of the most recent developments points to the weaponization of commercial drones to drop IEDs. This practice quickly became prevalent throughout Mexico and was rapidly adopted by the other cartels.