This is the shocking moment fighters from the Sinaloa Cartel were given a hero’s welcome after freeing residents from the control of arch-rival Jalisco New Generation Cartel in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, a group that extorted and murdered locals.
The bizarre footage shows men and women in the town of San Gregorio Chamic, across the border from Guatemala, cheering on the notorious criminal organization as its henchmen paraded down a federal highway on Saturday aboard 20 SUVs and pickup trucks.
On either side of the two-lane road, residents could be seen cheering on the heavily armored cartel fighters, including some wearing body armor with “MARINA” (Marines) printed on the back.
The incredulous warm reception is reportedly attributed to a recent operation by the Sinaloa Cartel that led to the liberation of main roads connecting the La Trinitaria-Comitán border area, which was under the control of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel for thirteen days fallen.
While the Jalisco Cartel was in charge, a series of murders and other crimes in the region were attributed to the group.
Residents cheered Sinaloa Cartel fighters on Saturday after they reportedly fled the Jalisco New Generation Cartel away from a major road that had been blocked for 13 days
Gunmen from the Sinaloa cartel were greeted with applause and cheers during a parade in Chiapas, across the border with Guatemala, on Saturday
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose government recently extradited one of the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán to the United States, announced on Monday the deployment of the National Guard to improve security in the border area between Chiapas and Guatemala .
He called on residents, especially the youth, not to be seduced by the Sinaloa Cartel or any other faction, saying the incident was only limited to that region and not the entire country.
‘It turns out that at the border with Guatemala, in Comalapa, towards Motozintla, there are organized crime groups fighting for the area (Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel) to have space, to store drugs coming in from Central America , to control that area and they will confront each other, fortunately there have not been many killings,” López Obrador said during his daily press conference with the media.
Senator Emilio Álvarez of Mexico City made a minor criticism of López Obrador’s policy of “hugs, no bullets” to confront criminal organizations.
“In broad daylight, on the border of Chiapas with Guatemala, they welcome the Sinaloa cartel,” he wrote on X, the social media platform known as Twitter. ‘Consequence of the failed government towards organized crime.’
The Diocese of San Cristobal called for action to address the serious crisis in the area. Result of the failed government in the face of organized crime.
A local Catholic church priest told Mexican news network Milenio that the response was worrying because it was possible that those in attendance were being forced to show their appreciation.
“Others will say they have already formed an alliance with drug traffickers. They line them up,” he said. ‘It’s not that they want to. There will be people who do it on their own, but people are forced and it’s not worth it. People are forced to defend one cartel, fight for another and are used as cannon fodder.”
A Sinaloa Cartel fighter dressed in military gear holds a rifle during a parade in Chiapas, Mexico, on Saturday
Residents line up on either side of a road during a parade in Chiapas, Mexico, to cheer and applaud members of the Sinaloa Cartel on Saturday after driving out rival members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, who had blocked access to the Sinaloa cartel for thirteen days. state highway 190
A local Catholic church priest told Mexican news network Milenio that the response was worrying because it was possible that those in attendance were being forced to show their appreciation
Coparmex, the country’s main employers’ association, was also critical of the public appearances and called on Mexico’s federal government to focus on recent wave of murders, kidnappings, extortion of local entrepreneurs and roadblocks.
Schools have also been closed for a week now as 2,000 teachers and 5,000 students have returned to teaching classes via Zoom following the murder of Berni Mehia – a teacher who was kidnapped from a secondary school on September 9 and found dead days later.
“We urge (the government) to implement an immediate program of action to strengthen security in Chiapas, with a focus on the mountain region,” the group said in a statement.
The parade came just hours after a gruesome video leaked early Saturday by the Jalisco New Generation captured the murder of four alleged members of the Sinaloa Cartel, who were shot dead at point-blank range and left on a road between the towns of Motozintla and Mazapa de Madero. .
For two decades, the border towns of Chiapas, across from Guatemala, have served as a strategic point for Mexican drug trafficking organizations, which also play a role in human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
In recent years, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, considered by the Drug Enforcement Administration to be the main power player in the drug trade, has driven the Sinaloa Cartel out of the region.