One thing might stop the cartel violence in Mexico: the love of soccer.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel may consider a temporary truce after cartel leader Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera died following a Feb. 22 military operation at a country club in Tapalpa, Jalisco, security expert Dr. Raul Benítez told The Post.
“There’s a lot of talk about it, and it benefits both sides because if they continue carrying out terrorist acts on the highways and the cities they control, the government will come down very hard,” Benítez said.
“So, simply send them [the cartel] the message that what’s needed right now is for the country to be calm, for the World Cup to happen, and then we’ll see what happens after the World Cup, because the danger is that there won’t be any soccer matches in Guadalajara.”
Concerns about the World Cup being removed from the country came after the military located El Mencho and other cartel members at the mountainside exclusive community. The attack left 70 people dead, according to authorities, and the drug lord’s henchmen responded by torching dozens of cars and businesses.
Benítez suggested it is in the best interest of the cartel for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum — who was pleased with the results of the operation — to reach an agreement to prevent FIFA from removing Mexico as the third host country
The country is set to host 13 World Cup matches, which will be held in Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco; Monterrey, Nuevo León; and Mexico City, the nation’s capital, Benítez said.
“She seems very worried because there’s already pressure from the World Cup organizers, and it won’t be long before the United States and President Trump say the same thing,” Benítez said.
“Mexico needs to be at peace for the World Cup to take place. Well, that’s the ghost hanging over us right now: the government has to pacify the country very quickly — in a week, in about 10 or 15 days — because of the World Cup.”
Estadio Akron — located just 18 miles from where the Mexican army killed El Mencho — is set to host four games. Mexican news outlets reported that the notorious drug lord had purchased tickets for the matches and was planning on gifting them to politicians and business owners.
Travel agencies have cancelled hotel reservations in Guadalajara, Benitez revealed, because visiting soccer fans don’t want to travel there.
Former DEA chief Ray Donovan, who oversaw the operation that led to the capture of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán and is now the CEO of Stack21 Solutions, said he doubts that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel will reach an accord with the government because of the power vacuum that exists following El Mencho’s death.
“I’m not so convinced under Sheinbaum because I feel like Sheinbaum is very much focused on the rule of law,” Donovan told The Post. “I think you have to have a really powerful figurehead [in the cartel] to be able to call the truce and right now there is no one particular person.”
The government soothed the worries of the soccer-loving aficionados in the central city of Queretaro by deploying the Army and National Guard to Estadio Corregidora, where 30,000 spectators enjoyed Mexico’s 4-0 friendly victory over Iceland on Wednesday night.
Mexican congresswoman Jaqueline Hinojosa lauded the security setup and expects a similar strategy to be implemented for each World Cup venue.
“Be assured that tourists who come to Mexico always fall in love with Mexico because there are more good people than bad, and the good people of Mexico will welcome them,” Hinojosa told The Post.
