‘They Need To Feel Pain’

Former Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) interim head Derek Maltz said the reported presence of Colombian veterans in the ranks of Mexican cartels strengthens the Trump administration’s argument to carry out military strikes inside its neighbor.

Speaking to the LA Times, Maltz said he has seen “significant progress” from Mexico when it comes to fighting cartels, but this development, coupled with the fact that veterans are helping with the making of explosive devices, could lead to the mentioned outcome.

“If it comes down to it, the U.S. government should use all tools in the toolbox to neutralize them,” Maltz said. “They need to feel pain like they’ve never felt before.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Ronald Johnson, ambassador to Mexico, have both declined to rule out unilateral military action to strike cartels in the country. “All cards are on the table,” the both said in separate statements earlier this year.

In fact, according to NBC News, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper claimed in his memoir that Trump once asked whether missiles could be launched into Mexico and then allow the U.S. to deny any involvement. Trump officials have denied this account.

Maltz’s statement was part of a broader report regarding the presence of Colombian mercenaries in Mexico, The outlet noted that some veterans have been lured to the country with the promise of high-end jobs where employers turned out to be cartels. Once there, they have been tasked with training hitmen, building bombs and even fighting in turf wars.

One illustrating episode took place last week, when Mexican authorities arrested 11 Colombians in the state of Michoacan in connection with the killing of eight members of the country’s National Guard.

Some have been tricked into ending up with cartels. One of them told the outlet that he thought he was signing up to work with the French Foreign Legion. However, he was flown to Mexico City and then an isolated encampment in Jalisco. They had their phones and passports confiscated and told they were now part of a cartel. “It’s either your life or the life of the person in front of you,” the person, identified as Freddy, said.

Another person said he was being paid the same amount as in the Colombian military to give weapons training to young recruits, many of whom were under the age of 18 and there against their will. “We were practically slaves,” he said.

Advocates of drone strikes argue that sustained military pressure could force cartels to reconsider the economic viability of fentanyl trafficking. Critics, in turn, warn the move could backfire diplomatically and politically, destabilize the region, and prove ineffective. The Claudia Sheinbaum administration has firmly rejected the possibility of allowing U.S. strikes in its territory.