Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has confirmed that 12 cartel gunmen recently arrested by Mexican military forces were former Colombian soldiers turned mercenaries. The politician claimed that selling their skills to the highest bidder was a high level of treason that should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
This week, Petro took to social media, where he claimed that the Cartel de Los Reyes in Mexico had hired 12 Colombian mercenaries. Cartel de Los Reyes is a smaller criminal organization affiliated with the Familia Michoacana, which has been engaged in a fierce turf war with Cartel Jalisco New Generation.
Los 12 colombianos que participaron en el atentado al ejército mexicano en Michoacan, son exmilitares.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) June 4, 2025
El cartel de los reyes contrató a los mercenarios colombianos para enfrentar el estado mexicano.
En Colombia el mercenarismo debe ser prohibido con alta pena de prisión, no se… https://t.co/MS9mw1PuE8
As Breitbart Texas reported late last month, a group of Colombian mercenaries set up a series of makeshift landmines along a series of dirt roads between Michoacan and Jalisco. One of those devices exploded when a convoy of Mexican army soldiers was patrolling the region. The blast killed six soldiers and fatally injured two others.
In the days after the attack, Mexican military forces were able to track down the gunmen responsible. They carried out a series of raids where they arrested five Mexican nationals and 12 Colombian nationals, as well as various weapons and explosives.
The Colombian mercenaries are the latest of a group of gunmen recruited by both the Familia Michoacana and CJNG as part of their ongoing turf war. Both sides have been recruiting international mercenaries who have been teaching cartel gunmen about the use of explosives and terror tactics.
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
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
