Mexico's President Asks Residents to Reject Drug Gang Gifts

Tuesday, after videos of flashy pickup trucks throwing out tonnes of gifts and bystanders identifying the drivers as Jalisco drug cartel members were posted online, Mexico's president urged the populace not to accept holiday handouts and gifts from drug gangs.

In order to win the favour of the local populace, several drug gangs were verified by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to be considering resuming previous freebies.

In his morning press conference, López Obrador stated that some locals have attempted to shield traffickers, prevent drug seizures, or block the construction of National Guard bases meant to combat drug trafficking.

The source of the gifts, largely toys, that were distributed on December 21 in a low-income area of Guadalajara, the state capital of Jalisco, has not been confirmed by the authorities.

The Jalisco cartel and a local gang commander known only by the nickname "RR" were praised in "narco corrido" songs played by a convoy of trucks carrying inflatable Santa decorations and Christmas lights as they passed through the area.

In one one footage, a passerby can be heard saying, "RR's entire crew. Who claims they don't provide anything for you? Why does the government not act similarly?"

López Obrador said the practise was returning when asked about the films on Tuesday; in the 2010s, similar cartel Christmas gift rounds were regular in the northern border state of Tamaulipas. López Obrador said it was part of a strategy by criminal gangs to win popular support.

"Since the start of this administration, we knew, it was obvious, it was public record, that criminal gangs were relying a lot on social bases, on people in the communities," the president said. "They use the people as (human) shields."

"Lately, some groups are trying to revive this (gift-giving) method by getting people to support them," López Obrador said. "When there is a cocaine seizure, communities come out and defend the traffickers, and even try to abduct members of the army and (National) Guard, to prevent the seizure of the cocaine."

Additionally, local citizens in three states have protested the building of National Guard facilities. López Obrador cited "three or four incidents" of local opposition and blamed it on cartel meddling. However, in the case of the protests in Mexico City, locals have claimed that they believe the barracks are superfluous, harmful to the environment, or likely to escalate violence in the area.

The gangs that drill into public pipelines to steal gasoline and diesel have received the country's largest local outpouring of support. Many towns resisted police and army operations because the fuel thieves allowed locals to utilise the illegal gas taps.

However, López Obrador said that his battle against gasoline theft has damaged this kind of criminal collaboration.

"There was this type of support, all of that has been disappearing because people know it is illegal and they shouldn't protect criminals," the president said. "What I tell people is that they shouldn't let themselves be manipulated, they shouldn't protect these gangs."