'Over 130 Flood Victims' in Mexican Village Receive Cartel Aid Before Government Supplies Arrive

In a village in Mexico where over 130 people were affected by flooding, relief supplies prepared by a drug cartel reached the victims before government aid did. On October 14 (local time), Yonhap News reported, "Major social networking services in Mexico have shared videos showing someone handing out packages containing daily necessities to citizens in villages around Veracruz."

In a village in Veracruz State, Mexico, which suffered flood damage, someone was seen handing out packages containing daily necessities to citizens. Local media outlet El Diario Del Narco Photo by X

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In the video, some of those distributing the goods are armed, and the cargo bed of the truck they arrived in is filled with relatively large bags of supplies. The local daily newspaper Reforma reported that the footage "appears to show a Mexican gang distributing relief supplies to flood victims in the affected areas."

In fact, the packages have a sticker reading 'CJNG,' which stands for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a criminal organization based in Mexico. CJNG is notorious for its ruthless attacks not only on rival groups but also on law enforcement, and in the past, the U.S. government identified it as one of the five most dangerous transnational criminal organizations in the world.

The package delivered to the flood victims has a 'CJNG' sticker attached. Local media outlet El Diario Del Narco Photo by X

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In Mexico, drug cartels are known to distribute relief supplies or gifts to residents not only after natural disasters but also during Christmas or Children's Day. This is seen as a strategy to send a message that they are more influential than the government, and to win over residents or recruit new members. It has been reported that some of the villages affected by the recent disaster are within CJNG's sphere of influence.

In 2022, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, a cartel was seen driving around neighborhoods with vehicles loaded with boxes of gifts, distributing them to residents. The vehicles were decorated with sparkling lights, Santa Claus, and snowman ornaments, and large crowds, including families with children, gathered to wait for the toy gifts to be handed out.

Recently, there has been widespread public dissatisfaction in Mexico over the slow pace of support from federal and state governments. During a regular press conference that morning, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded to local reporters' questions about the cartel's relief activities by saying, "It has not been confirmed whether such an incident actually occurred, but in any case, it is clearly not right." The government announced plans to quickly send food and cleaning equipment to the victims.

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