Mexico City, Mexico – Mexico and Colombia are reportedly working together to investigate an explosion that killed eight Mexican National Guard officers in Western Mexico last month. Authorities arrested 11 Colombian nationals with military backgrounds allegedly involved in the attack.
On May 28, a National Guard envoy set off a “narco” landmine — homemade explosives manufactured by drug cartels — while patrolling a rural area between the states of Michoacán and Jalisco. The blast killed eight officers.
Improvised explosive devices (IED) are becoming a more common weapon in cartels’ arsenal.
After the Colombian government acknowledged that there were former and active military troops involved in the explosion, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government was seeking collaboration with Colombia to address the growing ties between the two countries’ criminal organizations.
“We are looking for collaboration with the Colombian government to be able to attend to any criminal activity of any member of any criminal group in Colombia or any member of a criminal group in Mexico,” said the president.
Sheinbaum’s comments followed Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s address regarding the arrest of the Colombian nationals, where he said that some were still active troops in the military.
“A bomb has just exploded against the Mexican Army in Michoacán, with some dead there. The army, in their action, went and captured the possible culprits of the explosion. Most of them are former Colombian military, and there are some active. The news is in the press but has not been published. We are exporting mercenaries to the mafia,” said Petro.
Mexican authorities captured 17 suspects allegedly involved in the explosion, with 11 confirmed to be Colombian nationals. Following the arrest, Mexico extended the information to Colombia, with its government confirming the identity and nationality of the suspects and revealing their ties to the Colombian armed forces.
While Sheinbaum didn’t go into how involved Colombians or other foreigners are with local criminal groups, the president acknowledged that other Colombians involved with Mexican drug cartels have been arrested in the past, saying, “There have been arrests in Mexico involving Colombian nationals.”
For its part, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would watch over the rights of the 11 suspects and that it would do everything possible to ensure due process and that the human rights of Colombians would not be violated during the investigations.
Featured Image from Claudia Sheinbaum X profile
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