Security forces in Veracruz arrested four presumed cartel members who were handing out packages of supplies to needy citizens on Saturday while openly carrying weapons.

The four were handing out packages emblazoned with the initials of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in the municipality of La Perla.

After authorities received a report that the supplies were being distributed, state police, the army and the National Guard arrived on the scene to find around 400 people gathered to receive the donations.

They were greeted with gunfire by the presumed gangsters, who were subsequently overcome by security forces.

The Veracruz Public Security Ministry reported that security forces later found and seized a truck loaded with rifles, bulletproof vests, ammunition, magazines and other tactical gear, but did not specifically state that the seizure was related to the first incident.

Similar philanthropic actions by normally violent drug cartels have been reported elsewhere in Veracruz and the nation during the coronavirus pandemic, but police have been noticeably hands-off in other situations.

The daughter of notorious drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was observed distributing packages stenciled with her father’s image in Zapopan, Guadalajara, in mid-April.

Source: Milenio (sp)