Mexico’s ruling political party sanctioned its top talent after video capturing the operative’s expressions of support for the Gulf Cartel recently surfaced online. The viral clip reignited accusations that the federal government is not adequately fighting cartels.
This week, the Honesty and Justice Commission of the MORENA Party announced sanctions on Gaston Arriaga Lacorte, who served as the top operative in the border state of Tamaulipas. The sanction comes weeks after video surfaced on social media where Arriaga is seen in a restaurant surrounded by musicians and shouting “Go (Arriba) the Gulf Cartel, you man-whores.”
“Our party rejects this type of behavior and renews our commitment to fight the regime of anti-democratic corruption,” the MORENA Party said in a statement.
The Gulf Cartel is one of the main criminal organizations in Tamaulipas and a primary driver behind the current migration crisis in the U.S. The cartel takes greater profits from human smuggling than drug trafficking, say law enforcement sources.
The controversy surrounding Arriaga comes at a time when Mexico’s federal government is harshly criticized for its refusal to fight the violent cartels terrorizing the nation. The move follows the ideology of party founder and current Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who uses the phrase “hugs not bullets” (“abrazos no balazos”) to describe his idea of promoting social justice and welfare projects to undercut cartels. Lopez Obrador once ordered the release of a drug lord in Sinaloa hours after federal authorities arrested him. That man was Ovidio “El Raton” Guzman — the son of jailed kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Lopez Obrador said he released Guzman to prevent bloodshed after hundreds of gunmen from the Sinaloa Cartel rushed to rescue El Chapo’s son in armored convoys.
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.