Town in Mexico thanks fugitive cartel leader "El Mencho" for children's holiday gifts, sparking investigation
CBSN
Mexico's president said Monday that prosecutors are investigating officials in a town where a sign was posted thanking a drug lord — who has a $15 million bounty on his head in the U.S. — for holiday season gifts for children.
In the past, drug cartels in Mexico have often handed out gifts or bags of food to local people around the holidays, to try to improve their image or build local support. The cartels often want local people to warn them of army raids, but at the same time the gangs usually extort protection money from local residents.
Videos posted on social media last week from the town of Coalcoman, in the western state of Michoacan, showed a sign at a Christmas fair thanking Jalisco cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera -- better known by his nickname "El Mencho" -- for the gifts.
