Storytimes Newspapers

  Mexican security officials are ramping up efforts to prevent individuals from Colombia with ties to local drug cartels from entering the country under the guise of FIFA World Cup tourists, amid concerns over organized crime recruitment. Roberto Alarcón, Jalisco's general coordinator for strategic security, told AFP on Thursday that authorities are actively screening and turning back Colombians who cannot justify their presence in Mexico. Jalisco, home to Guadalajara—one of Mexico's host cities for the 2026 tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico—is a focal point due to the dominance of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the country's most powerful criminal organizations. "People have come to be recruited by the cartels," Alarcón said, highlighting a rising trend of Colombian former soldiers and ex-guerrillas joining Mexican organized crime groups. He noted that several Colombians have already been denied entry for failing to p...