López Obrador visits “El Chapo” territory and shakes his mother’s hand

BADIRAGUATO, Mexico, Mar 30 (Reuters) – Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador shook hands with Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s mother, during a visit this weekend to the hometown of the famous drug trafficker, imprisoned in The United States, in a gesture that has sparked strong criticism of the president.

In a 30-second video posted to Twitter late Sunday, the president can be seen approaching Maria Consuelo Loera’s car, parked on a dirt road on the outskirts of Badiraguato, a mountainous municipality in northwest Sinaloa state.

Surrounded by dozens of onlookers, López Obrador tells Loera that he does not need to get out of the car, they shake hands and after a brief chat, he listens as he comments to the boss’s mother: “I received your letter.” Without giving more details.

The video then shows López Obrador conversing with one of “El Chapo’s” lawyers, José Luis González.

In October, security forces released Ovidio Guzmán, son of “El Chapo”, after his capture unleashed shootings and mayhem on the streets of Culiacán.

A Reuters witness said Loera was waiting for López Obrador near the community of La Tuna, “El Chapo’s” birthplace. The president was on an official visit with the state governor.

Many people criticized López Obrador on social networks for greeting the mother of “El Chapo” and for shaking hands with the woman, who is over 90 years old, especially at a time when Mexico is promoting social distancing measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

(Written by Anthony Esposito. Translated by Noé Torres. Edited by Raúl Cortés Fernández / Gabriela Donoso)