Nothing Substantiates the Russian Accusation of a Link Between Mexican Drug Traffickers and Kyiv

Experts on European organized crime confirm that neither Europol nor the UN drug control agency are aware of any such link

As key players in the international production and distribution of drugs, Mexican criminal organizations—particularly the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels—have long been dominant forces in the European drug trade through strategic alliances with local mafias, such as the Italian ‘Ndrangheta or Eastern European groups.

However, although Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service accused Ukraine of maintaining ties with Mexican cartels to facilitate the trafficking of narcotics into Europe, there is no evidence to substantiate this claim, according to experts and fact-checking organizations.

“At this moment, there is no solid investigative evidence—neither from major European agencies nor from international bodies like Europol (European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation) or the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)—confirming the existence of structured collaboration between Ukrainian authorities or state apparatuses and Mexican cartels,” expert Antonio Nicaso told MILENIO.

A professor of the Social History of Organized Crime at Queen’s University (Canada) and a leading expert on the ‘Ndrangheta, Nicaso emphasized that the Russian accusations should be viewed with “great caution,” noting that “in wartime contexts, information is often an integral part of the conflict and can also be used as a propaganda tool.”

Naples prosecutor Nicola Gratteri—who has led operations dismantling collaborative networks between Italian mafias and Mexican cartels (such as Operation Solare, which in 2008 broke up an alliance between the Gulf Cartel and the ‘Ndrangheta)—also confirmed to MILENIO that he possesses no information substantiating the allegations made by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service.

In a statement issued on June 29, that agency accused Ukraine of maintaining ties with Mexican cartels and other Latin American criminal groups to facilitate both the entry of drugs into Europe and the arrival of mercenaries to fight in its ranks against Moscow.

Fact-checking organizations—such as EUvsDisinfo (comprising experts from the European Union’s diplomatic service) and Snopes (a website dedicated to combating disinformation)—stated on their respective platforms that no credible evidence has been presented to support the Russian claims, nor have any indications of large-scale operations matching those allegations been found.

The Ukrainian Embassy in Mexico also issued a statement refuting the Russian intelligence service and condemning what it described as “the latest disinformation campaign propagated by the government of the Russian Federation.”

“Unable to respond with solid arguments and verifiable truths to impartial journalistic investigations—such as the recent, rigorous coverage by the Mexican press exposing how the Russian transnational network itself operates to supply high-powered weapons to criminal organizations in Jalisco and Sinaloa—Kremlin authorities choose to fabricate fantastical narratives completely divorced from reality,” the Ukrainian diplomatic mission noted.

Training zones

“This doesn’t mean the conflict hasn’t created new vulnerabilities. Every war produces gray zones, weakens controls, and generates opportunities that can be exploited by transnational criminal groups,” Nicaso explained. He stated that it is possible that individuals, opportunistic networks, or intermediaries have sought to exploit the instability created by the conflict in Ukraine. “However, there is a substantial difference between isolated incidents and systematic cooperation, and so far, there is no judicial evidence to substantiate the Russian allegation.”

The specialist noted that the Ukrainian conflict has attracted fighters, volunteers, and individuals from diverse backgrounds, and that investigative sources have confirmed that people linked to criminal circles have sought to gain operational experience in that theater of war—particularly regarding the use of drones in combat scenarios.

“In this instance, too, the evidence doesn’t point to collaboration between the Ukrainian state and drug cartels; rather, it confirms that transnational criminal organizations closely monitor the technological innovations emerging from contemporary conflicts,” he added.

The expert pointed out that in Latin America, numerous cartels already possess specialized units—known as *droneros*—tasked with using these aircraft to transport narcotics, monitor law enforcement activities, surveil disputed territories, and, increasingly, carry out offensive operations.

He highlighted that in Mexico, some criminal groups have transformed drones into actual attack platforms by equipping them with homemade explosives.

Nicaso and Gratteri have co-authored several books on the phenomenon of transnational organized crime. In one of their latest titles, *Cartelli di sangue* (Blood Cartels), they note that drugs produced in Latin America flood major European markets, entering primarily through the ports of Antwerp (Belgium), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Gioia Tauro (Italy), and Algeciras (Spain). According to experts, Mexican cartels are closely eyeing Europe—not only for narcotics exports but also with the aim of setting up synthetic drug laboratories there—though they are proceeding cautiously so as not to step on the toes of local criminal organizations.

Source: Milenio