Former Police and Soldiers Recruited by Drug Cartels: A Persistent Problem in Mexico
Last Friday, the army arrested Misael Guerrero Pérez, known as “El Güero Pin,” the regional leader of the Chapitos in southern Sinaloa. However, what drew particular attention was that he was accompanied by Hilario Martínez, the former Director of Public Security in Escuinapa. At first glance, it might seem like an isolated case of a former police officer switching sides, but unfortunately, this has become a recurring pattern.
The military and police forces have increasingly become a recruitment pool for organized crime. Because these institutions train personnel in the use of firearms and provide extensive knowledge of local terrain, criminal organizations actively recruit former members by offering salaries significantly higher than official government wages.
Even more concerning is that the relationship between organized crime and law enforcement often begins while officers are still serving. Many receive bribes in exchange for information or favors, such as coordinating operations against rival cartels.
This trend is particularly alarming because it means that the Mexican state is effectively training individuals who may later become cartel leaders, operatives, or hitmen. Understanding the reasons behind this phenomenon is essential if future recruitment by criminal organizations is to be reduced.
Examples of Police Officers and Soldiers Recruited by Drug Cartels
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo was the most powerful drug trafficker during the 1980s and the only figure who managed to unite regional criminal groups into the nationwide Guadalajara Cartel. What is less widely known is that he began his career as an officer in the Judicial Police and later served as a bodyguard for the governor of Sinaloa.
From those positions, Félix Gallardo built the criminal alliances that eventually allowed him to establish the Guadalajara Cartel. He also recruited other key figures, including Juan José Esparragoza Moreno and Rafael Aguilar Guajardo, both of whom had worked for the former Federal Security Directorate.
Rafael Aguilar Guajardo was later sent by Félix Gallardo to Ciudad Juárez to oversee operations there and eventually founded the Juárez Cartel, becoming the mentor of Amado Carrillo Fuentes.
Meanwhile, Juan José Esparragoza served for years as Félix Gallardo’s chief of security before becoming one of the principal leaders involved in the formation of the Sinaloa Cartel, alongside Joaquín Guzmán Loera, Ismael Zambada García, and Ignacio Coronel Villarreal.
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, founder and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), also served during the 1990s as a police officer in the municipalities of Tomatlán and Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco. Remarkably, he held those positions after being arrested in California for drug trafficking and deported to Mexico, highlighting the lack of effective background checks in police recruitment.
Perhaps the most emblematic example is that of Los Zetas, which originated from an elite military unit known as the Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales (GAFE). An entire group of GAFE soldiers deserted to join the Gulf Cartel, where they initially served as bodyguards for Osiel Cárdenas Guillén.
Osiel first approached Arturo Guzmán Decena, who convinced fellow soldiers to defect. As a result, 31 military personnel joined the Gulf Cartel, forming the original core of Los Zetas. Among them was Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, who later became the organization’s leader after Arturo Guzmán’s death.
Community police forces have also been affected, particularly in Guerrero and Michoacán. Among their former members were Celso Ortega Rosas, founder of Los Ardillos, and Onésimo Marquina Chapa, founder of Los Tlacos.
In Michoacán, during 2013, when Alfredo Castillo Cervantes formalized self-defense groups into community police under the administration of Enrique Peña Nieto, individuals such as Juan José Farías Álvarez, founder of Cárteles Unidos; Nicolás Sierra Santana, leader of Los Viagras; and Miguel Ángel Gallegos Godoy, founder of the Zicuirán Cartel, were incorporated into these forces.
One of the most recent examples is Hernán Bermúdez Requena, who served as Secretary of Security in Tabasco under the appointment of Adán Augusto López Hernández. He has also been accused of creating La Barredora, a criminal organization involved in fuel theft and drug distribution, which he allegedly led until his arrest.
How Can the Problem Be Addressed?
Several measures have been proposed to reduce the likelihood that police officers and military personnel will later join criminal organizations:
- Implement stricter recruitment procedures, including background checks for criminal records, substance abuse, suspicious associations, and irregular financial activity.
- Improve monitoring of the financial situations of security personnel.
- Strengthen internal affairs units to investigate suspected cases of collusion.
- Improve salaries, working conditions, and career opportunities for members of security forces.
- Maintain a comprehensive database of all former members of public security institutions to facilitate identification if they later work for criminal organizations.
- Promote stronger ethics and integrity training throughout security institutions.
Source: es-us.noticias.yahoo
