MEXICO CITY: A 24-year-old Mexican man who posed as a drug trafficker on Facebook, posting photographs and threatening messages, was arrested and is being held at a maximum-security prison, officials said.
Martin Juarez Campos, who called himself ‘El M Juarez’ in online posts, claimed to be a member of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, one of the most powerful and violent criminal organisations created in recent years in Mexico.
Juarez Campos entertained himself by posting messages and photographs for his more than 2,000 Facebook friends that glorified violence, Jalisco Attorney General’s Office spokesmen told EFE.
The suspect, who was arrested last Saturday, used one of his last posts to upload a video showing a gift-wrapped box being opened to reveal a gold-plated pistol with encrusted diamonds.
Juarez Campos said in the post that he wanted to thank his ‘boss,’ referring to ‘El Mencho’ the nickname of Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes.
Investigators determined that Juarez Campos was a forklift operator who lived in Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, and had no links to any cartel members or drug traffickers. Juarez Campos just wanted to pretend he was a cartel member because he found drug traffickers’ lives fascinating, AG’s office spokesmen said.
The young man took the photos and videos he posted on Facebook from Web sites and then placed his own watermark on them, officials said.
Juarez Campos faces a variety of charges for instigating others to commit crimes and could spend one to six months in prison if convicted. The suspect has appeared before a judge and is being held at Jalisco’s Puente Grande prison. — Bernama