President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador warned one of Mexico’s most vicious drug cartels in a strange, tone-deaf message.
The dangerous cartel had abducted 16 police officers, and Obrador addressed the criminals demanding the release of the victims, or he would “tell their parents.”
During a morning press conference this week, the Mexican politician remarked that he was forced to confirm that members of the criminal organization Cartel Jalisco New Generation had kidnapped 16 members of the Chiapas state police. Lopez Obrador warned the kidnappers that he would alert their parents if they didn’t free the hostages.
Since Lopez Obrador has previously made similar comments in an apparent attempt to downplay the seriousness of the security problem in Mexico, his latest remarks understandably infuriated many people there.
A driver reportedly filmed several kidnappers aiming firearms at a police bus after spotting the crime in progress.
CJNG (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, or Jalisco New Generation Cartel) gunmen released films showing police officers being abducted and forced to deliver a message to the governor in which the cartel sought the resignation of three state security executives. According to reports, the three officials have been collaborating with the Sinaloa Cartel.
Conflicts have arisen between CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel over the distribution of drugs in southern Mexico. Cartel members have been recruiting men and teens in rural villages for months, despite statements to the contrary by the Mexican government, forcing villagers to evacuate their homes.
The public will continue to lose faith in its leaders if they attempt to blow off these heinous crimes just to salvage the reputation of the crime-ridden country in the eyes of the world.
Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion was formerly known as Los Mata Zetas. The Mexican government considers them the most dangerous gang in the country. They have been known to cannibalize some of their victims.
