CJNG Colombian Mercenaries Fighting in Charapan, Michoacán

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

The existence of Colombian mercenaries in Mexico has been well known for at least 15 years, but new images of suspected CJNG-affiliated Colombian combatants fighting in Charapan, Michoacán, have brought renewed attention to their presence on all sides of the fight in Michoacán. 

On May 20, Raúl Zepeda, the Secretary of Government, confirmed that security forces killed 3 CJNG gunmen encountered on Hidalgo Norte, the road connecting the towns of Cocucho and Ocumicho. The gunmen apparently fired shots as the security forces arrived on a patrol, causing the firefight. 

Photos posted online after the engagement show captured tactical vests and a hat with patches with the Colombian flag.

Photos posted following the 20 May shootout.

March 2026: Colombian mercenaries fighting near the Jalisco border. Colombian flag patches are visible on their uniforms.

Locals of this region have told media that there is a group of at least 30 Colombian mercenaries hired by the CJNG operating in the region.

While Colombian mercenaries have been in Mexican crime conflicts for over 15 years, their numbers have grown exponentially since the 2016 FARC peace agreement in Colombia, which created a massive supply of highly trained, under-supported military veterans who looked abroad for high-paying combat roles. Between 2,000 and 3,000 of these are now estimated to be working for Mexican criminal groups.

In Michoacán, Colombian mercenaries are not exclusively working for CJNG. In June 2025, Mexican Army soldiers arrested a group of Colombian mercenaries believed to be behind a landmine attack that killed eight soldiers in western Mexico, linked to the Carteles Unidos faction of the Familia Michoacana, longtime rivals of the CJNG.

In 2025, Spanish newspaper El País interviewed several locals of La Ruana, Michoacán, who reported the presence of Colombian mercenaries hired by Los Viagras, identifiable by their distinctive accents.

Sources: AP News, @Eco1_LVM Twitter, Monitor Expreso, El Pais, @MennyValdz Twitter