The Blogging Hounds

For decades, Washington has poured billions into Latin America under the banner of the “War on Drugs.” Yet allegations persist that elite military training funded or influenced by the United States has, over time, filtered into the hands of some of Mexico’s most violent cartel enforcers.

At the center of recent claims is the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a cartel known for paramilitary-style propaganda, armored convoys, and battlefield tactics more commonly associated with trained special forces units.

In a 2019 interview on Telemundo, a former CJNG member alleged that individuals with U.S. special operations backgrounds had participated in cartel training camps. Those claims remain unverified, but they echo a broader historical pattern: military training provided to allied forces in Latin America sometimes later diffuses into criminal organizations.

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The Zetas Precedent

The most documented example of military expertise flowing into cartel hands is Los Zetas.

Los Zetas originated in the late 1990s when deserters from Mexico’s Airborne Special Forces Group (GAFE) joined the Gulf Cartel. GAFE units had received elite counterinsurgency and unconventional warfare training, some of which involved cooperation with U.S. forces during counternarcotics programs in the 1990s.

Former U.S. and Mexican officials have acknowledged that hundreds of Mexican special forces troops participated in joint training initiatives. While U.S. officials maintain no known cartel members were knowingly trained under their real identities, intelligence reporting over the years has indicated that at least some individuals later recruited by cartels had prior exposure to U.S.-funded training environments.

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The Kaibiles Connection

Guatemala’s elite Kaibiles special forces have also drawn scrutiny. The Kaibiles were trained in counterinsurgency during Guatemala’s civil war and later participated in counternarcotics cooperation with the United States.

Some law enforcement assessments have alleged that former Kaibiles later joined or trained cartel elements, including factions connected to Los Zetas and possibly CJNG.

It is important to note: U.S. training programs are officially structured to support lawful military institutions, not criminal enterprises. However, when trained soldiers desert or become mercenaries, the skills they carry can dramatically enhance the operational capacity of organized crime groups.

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CJNG and “Grupo Élite”

CJNG’s so-called “Grupo Élite” emerged publicly around 2020 with highly produced propaganda videos displaying disciplined formations, armored vehicles, and coordinated maneuvers.

Mexican military officials have acknowledged that some cartel security elements include deserters from Mexican armed forces, as well as foreign mercenaries with military experience in Colombia and Central America.

There have also been media reports suggesting possible involvement of former U.S. military personnel acting as private contractors. No official U.S. investigation has confirmed systemic participation by active-duty American forces in cartel training.

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Operation Martillo and Plan Mérida

Under initiatives like Plan Mérida, the United States provided more than $1.6 billion in security assistance to Mexico. Operation Martillo and related programs involved U.S. Marines, Navy, Coast Guard, and regional partners in interdiction efforts.

The strategic intent was to combat trafficking routes and strengthen regional security forces.

Yet critics argue that without airtight vetting and oversight, such programs risk “blowback” — where advanced training eventually strengthens non-state armed actors.

A Complicated Legacy

The historical record shows a complex dynamic:

• U.S. military training programs aimed at counternarcotics and counterinsurgency.
• Regional special forces later infiltrated or recruited by cartels.
• Highly trained paramilitary-style cartel units employing advanced tactics.

None of this constitutes proof of deliberate U.S. collaboration with cartels. Rather, it illustrates the unintended consequences that can emerge in prolonged asymmetric conflicts.

The War on Drugs was meant to dismantle violent criminal networks. Instead, some of those networks evolved into sophisticated paramilitary organizations.

Conclusion

The allegation that U.S.-trained forces — directly or indirectly — contributed to the rise of cartel paramilitary capabilities underscores a difficult truth about modern warfare:

Skills taught for one purpose can migrate into entirely different arenas.

Whether through desertion, corruption, or mercenary recruitment, the diffusion of military expertise into criminal hands remains one of the most troubling and least resolved chapters in the long War on Drugs.

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