Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Oct. 10, 2026 — Mexico is investigating a video claiming cartel members are fighting in Ukraine, while authorities separately report a seizure of fiber-optic drone equipment in Sinaloa.
The recording, which circulated this week, shows uniformed men in a wooded area. One speaker refers to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and La Chapiza, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed Thursday, Oct. 8, that Mexico’s Security Cabinet is investigating the footage. Authorities have not established the men’s identities, cartel affiliations or the circumstances of the recording.
The connection to Puerto Vallarta
The allegations have regional significance because they involve the CJNG, a criminal organization with a documented presence in Jalisco. However, the federal investigation has not established any connection between the Ukraine footage and Puerto Vallarta.
Our review of the government’s statements found no reference to local recruitment operations, drone activity or a security threat in Puerto Vallarta related to the video.
Organized crime investigations are already part of the local public safety picture. In March, the Federal Attorney General’s Office reported charges against seven people following a Navy operation in the Las Peñas neighborhood.
That case involved firearms, ammunition and tactical equipment. As covered in our reporting on the Puerto Vallarta arrests, it was a separate criminal investigation. No connection to Ukraine or drone warfare was reported.
The distinction is significant for residents. A cartel’s name appearing in an overseas video does not, by itself, establish increased danger in Puerto Vallarta or changes to local security conditions.
Sheinbaum says investigators are verifying the video
During her October 8 morning news conference, Sheinbaum said officials were examining whether the recording was authentic and how the individuals might have entered the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“We are reviewing the case, first to determine whether the video is real,” Sheinbaum said, according to the official presidential transcript.
She said investigators were also examining possible recruitment through private security companies or foreign military organizations.
The president stressed that Mexican authorities had not established whether the individuals belonged to criminal groups.
The short recording shows several men wearing military clothing and carrying equipment. A speaker references La Chapiza and the CJNG, while others express support for Ukraine and several Latin American countries.
Those statements have fueled allegations that cartel members are gaining battlefield experience abroad.
However, the recording has not been independently authenticated. Officials have not publicly confirmed the identities of those involved, their military units or their claimed criminal affiliations.
Sheinbaum also said Mexico had not contacted the Ukrainian government about the footage. She indicated that any necessary communication would go through the Foreign Relations Ministry.
Drone equipment seized in Sinaloa adds another concern
Separate from the investigation into the video, Mexican federal authorities have documented the seizure of drone equipment that reflects changes in technology available to armed groups.
In a security report published October 6, the federal government said Army personnel seized 15 drones and 15 rolls of fiber-optic cable in El Rosario, Sinaloa.
The October 5 operation also recovered 15 drone controllers, 14 batteries, three long guns, ammunition and 42 improvised explosive devices.
The equipment is significant because fiber-optic drone systems operate differently from conventional radio-controlled aircraft.
Most commercially available drones receive instructions through radio signals. Electronic jamming equipment can disrupt those connections.
Fiber-optic systems instead transmit commands along a thin physical cable connected to the aircraft. This makes them less vulnerable to conventional radio-frequency interference.
The technology has become increasingly prominent in Ukraine, where electronic warfare is a major part of battlefield operations.
The Sinaloa seizure provides evidence that equipment associated with this type of drone technology has reached Mexico.
It does not establish where the equipment originated, who acquired it or whether its operators received training in Ukraine. The federal report also did not identify the criminal organization responsible for the seized material.
Security researchers have warned about criminal drone use
Concerns about organized crime acquiring military drone skills predate the latest video.
In a June 2025 analysis of criminal drone technology, Henry Ziemer, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, examined how criminal organizations were incorporating unmanned aircraft into their operations.
His analysis documented the growing use of drones in conflicts between criminal organizations in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America.
Ziemer also warned that security forces were struggling to keep pace with new applications of inexpensive drone technology.
The report recommended better training, stronger intelligence capabilities and improved defenses against unmanned aircraft.
Those concerns extend beyond devices designed to carry explosives. Criminal organizations can also use commercially available drones for surveillance, monitoring law enforcement and supporting illicit operations.
The potential movement of drone expertise between international battlefields and criminal groups has become another concern for security researchers.
However, the appearance of similar technology in two countries does not establish that equipment, training or personnel moved directly between them.
United States expands its response to cartel drones
The use of drones by criminal organizations has also become a security issue along the United States-Mexico border.
According to reporting published October 5 on U.S. military counter-drone exercises, American forces have been testing equipment designed to detect and stop unmanned aircraft associated with smuggling operations.
The exercises took place in Arizona in September.
Brig. Gen. Brian Filler, deputy commander for operations at Joint Task Force Southern Border, said the military had detected 378 drone incursions during the preceding 30 days.
Filler said many of the aircraft were commercially available drones equipped with cameras. Officials linked their use primarily to surveillance associated with smuggling and human trafficking.
U.S. military officials also cautioned that the drones observed along the border were not necessarily comparable to the more advanced systems operating on battlefields in Ukraine.
The border figures describe activity in that region. They are not evidence of comparable drone operations in Puerto Vallarta or elsewhere along Mexico’s Pacific tourist coast.
For Mexican authorities, the immediate investigation concerns the authenticity of the Ukraine video and the possible recruitment of Mexican nationals into a foreign war.
The Sinaloa equipment seizure presents a separate, documented law enforcement concern. Although both developments involve questions about military technology and organized crime, federal authorities have not publicly established a direct connection between them.