The Tepalcatepec Cartel is Recruiting Foreigners to Operate Drones in Michoacán

“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat 

We begin in Michoacán. There, the Tepalcatepec Cartel hires foreigners to carry out surveillance duties on airstrips used for drug trafficking. *Milenio* was able to speak with a Colombian national who claimed to have been brought to our country to operate on behalf of Juan José Farías—known as "El Abuelo" (The Grandfather)—the leader of *Cárteles Unidos* (United Cartels). 

In Mexico, organized crime continues to recruit foreigners—mostly Colombians with experience in security operations. This is the case in Michoacán, where *Milenio* interviewed a man who was hired by the Tepalcatepec Cartel to ostensibly provide protection for municipal government officials.

"Well, I was initially contacted by someone named 'La Roca'—'The Rock'—who serves as the 'war commander' for all the Colombians, you know? He oversees the entire military wing—or, let's say, the military side of the organization here. Operating outside the law, 

I was contacted by a person who said they needed personnel to protect government figures—people who possessed the necessary physical capabilities and military training. I was recruited by the Tepalcatepec Cartel. That was the specific role for which I arrived here in Mexico." 

Upon landing in Michoacán, his passport was confiscated, and he was informed that he would not be protecting any government officials; instead, he would be serving the interests of Juan José Farías Álvarez—"El Abuelo"—the leader of *Cárteles Unidos*, for whom the United States is offering a reward of $40,000. 

"Yes, I spent two months protecting airstrips—providing security for the runways using drones. Honestly, we didn't really discuss exactly what was coming in or going out, but, well, it’s no secret to anyone: it’s a cartel—they deal in drugs, weapons, extortion... yes, that sort of thing. But we didn't have authorization to get too close to the actual operations." 

However, he never saw a single peso of the 40,000 pesos per month he had been promised. The clashes with rival groups—combined with the lack of payment—ultimately led him to desert, along with several of his companions. 

At this moment, I know of three people who escaped alongside me—though others had already deserted before us. Many had already deserted because, relatively speaking—as I mentioned earlier—it is a complex and difficult transition to go from working for the State to working for organized crime, for an entity operating outside the law. Consequently, many people have deserted—and, truth be told, the pay simply stopped coming. 

Now, without money or a passport, he wanders through the Tierra Caliente region, surviving on charity. Due to his criminal record, he is unwilling to approach the authorities to ask for help or to request repatriation to his home country. There are three of us here in Apatzingán looking for work; however, because of our accents and our nationality, people look down on us. 

It is incredibly difficult; we have even been forced to beg for food on the streets. The recruitment of foreign military personnel by drug cartels isn’t a recent phenomenon in Michoacán. 

From 2025 to the present, the Michoacán Secretariat of Public Security has detained 78 South Americans—34 of whom were Colombians who were either training criminals in the use of explosives or had been enlisted into the cartels' ranks under false promises of legitimate employment.

Source: Milenio