Latin American drug cartels are recruiting veterans of the Russia-Ukraine war to expand their drone capabilities, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

Axar.az informs, via Newsmax, that an internal U.S. government assessment warns that the transfer of battlefield expertise could complicate President Donald Trump's efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks, The Post said, citing five U.S. officials and one Mexican official.

Cartels have used money and coercion to recruit people, primarily Colombians, returning from Ukraine and have sent their own affiliates to the battlefield to gain experience, officials told the Post. One official said the newly acquired skills could be put to use within months.

"They're going to be way better off, way better trained, with way better equipment," a U.S. official involved in counternarcotics operations told the newspaper.

Mexican cartels already use drones to monitor law enforcement operations and identify smuggling routes. Officials said the groups are studying ways to evade anti-drone systems and acquiring aircraft capable of flying longer distances and carrying heavier explosive payloads.