Young Mexicans Are Posting TikToks Expressing Their Wish To Become Cartel Hitmen

Mexican drug cartels have been modernizing their recruiting strategies as of late, increasingly turning to social media to lure young people into their ranks. From fake job postings on social media to reaching out to potential recruits on video game platforms, criminal organizations like the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) have capitalized on these digital spaces to target vulnerable individuals.

By exploiting online anonymity and the appeal of quick money, cartels are able to bypass traditional recruitment methods, making it easier to expand their operations and gain new members. And according to new reports from Mexican news outlets, the Jalisco cartel is now using TikTok to share videos in support of the drug trafficking organization, with people also pitching themselves for posts in the criminal organization.

As reported by Milenio, recent videos shared on TikTok show a group of at least 15 individuals aged between 17 and 32 years old expressing their wish to join the Jalisco cartel and become hitmen.

"I am 21 years old and I am going to work as a sicario for the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación. Nobody is forcing me, I am doing it of my own free will...I am from the State of Mexico," one of the videos shared by a man identified as Ángel "N" said.

Several of the videos have revealed that a CJNG cell known as "Comando Calavera," which operates along the state borders of Michoacán and Jalisco, is reaching out to new recruits in order to convince them to join their ranks.

According to Milenio's Alejandro Domínguez, other TikTok videos followed the same type of content shared by Ángel "N," stating that new recruits are not being forced to join the cartel.

"I am 32 years of age, I live in the State of Mexico and I am going to become a sicario for the four letters (referring to the CJNG)," a woman identified as Guadalupe said in another video. "I am going on my own free will and I am going to join the operations for the Comando Calavera," she added.

Apart from targeting young adults living in the State of Mexico, other videos surfaced involving recruits from the states of Jalisco, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Puebla and Guerrero. Another video, from a 23-year-old woman from Guerrero, followed the same pattern as the others.

"I am voluntarily joining the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación, no one is forcing me. I am going on behalf of Calavera," she said.

Apart from videos of alleged new recruits, the social media app saw other videos in which people were offering jobs in order to lure in new recruits.

"You want to get out of poverty? The 4NG company is hiring. Good pay, benefits, food, housing and other things are offered here. Don't be left out," one of the videos obtained by Milenio said.

Along with the cryptic messages, the videos used imagery closely associated with drug trafficking and organized crime such as racks of money, high-caliber firearms and an extravagant lifestyle —including the use of exotic animals— that appeals to young audiences.

As the videos started to gain traction and views on TikTok, the social media platform quickly removed content shared by those accounts.

Similarly, Mexico's Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection Omar Garcia Harfuch announced on March 24 that 49 individuals linked to these recruiting schemes had been arrested by federal authorities.

Intelligence reports suggested the vile recruiting strategies used by the Jalisco cartel were led by a man identified as José Gregorio "N," also known as "Comandante Lastra," who was arrested in Mexico City earlier this week.

According to authorities, "El Lastra" is not only believed to be behind the recruitment network that promoted the cartel's propaganda on TikTok, but is also thought to have overseen the recruitment of individuals taken to the Izaguirre Ranch, a property in Teuchitlán, Jalisco allegedly used by the criminal organization as a confinement, training and extermination center.