Watch: Mexican National Guardsmen Extort Drug Dealer

Surveillance video caught members of Mexico’s National Guard extorting a drug dealer who allegedly operates out of a convenience store. The move is the latest in a series of corrupt activities that plague the militarized police force. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador created the National Guard as his answer to the cloud of corruption over predecessor forces.

The case took place last month in the state of Jalisco when guardsmen visited a convenience store and demanded cash from the owner. At least two soldiers wearing face coverings can be seen in the video. One goes on an expletive-filled tirade as he tells the owner that if he does not pay, they will raid the place and take all contents.

This week, Mexico’s National Guard issued a statement claiming that the individuals in the video are under investigation. In a social media post, the National Guard says it would not tolerate corruption within its ranks.

There have been several cases where National Guardsmen were caught on video extorting street-level drug traffickers. In May, some threatened to throw a grenade under the door of a dealer’s house unless he paid a protection fee.

In March, Breitbart Texas reported exclusively on a long-term extortion operation in Nuevo Leon, shortly before the implementation of the National Guard. The extortion was carried out by a group of military policemen assigned state police vehicles as part of a task force. That task force became the model for the National Guard. The troops appeared in videos and photographs as they extorted a local man and carried out raids on his property. Several members of Nuevo Leon’s Fuerza Civil also took part.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.