Colombian soldiers fought guerrillas. Now they’re fighting for Mexican cartels
WORLD & NATION Members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel pose with a machine gun in the state of Michoacán. Some former Colombian soldiers say the cartel lured them to Mexico under false pretenses and forced them to fight. (Juan Jose Estrada Serafin / For The Times) By Kate Linthicum and Keegan Hamilton June 9, 2025 3 AM PT Some Colombian veterans were lured to Mexico by the promise of high-end jobs, only to discover their new employer was a drug cartel. The former head of the Drug Enforcement Administration said the presence of foreign fighters in the cartel wars could justify U.S. actions in Mexico. MEXICO CITY — Dangerous new hired guns have arrived on the battlefield of Mexico’s cartel wars: Colombian mercenaries. Former combatants in Colombia’s long-standing internal conflict are increasingly being lured to Mexico by criminal groups to train hitmen, build bombs and fight bloody turf battles. Eleven Colombians were arrested in Michoa...