A leader of a Mexican cartel has made a plea to President Donald Trump to address the widespread corruption in Mexico. Cesar Alejandro Sepulveda Arellano, also known as ‘El Botox’ and recognized as the head of Los Blancos de Troya, a faction of the Los Viagras cartel, reached out to Trump through a video shared on social media.
Arellano, who is wanted by both Mexican and US authorities, urged Trump to tackle the corruption and violence that he claimed are rampant in Mexico. He also called on the US President to cease deporting Mexican migrants and instead integrate them into the American workforce.
In the video, reportedly filmed while in hiding, Arellano directly addressed Trump, stating, “Mr. President of the United States, I respectfully request your intervention in Mexico, as it is urgently needed. Unlike the Mexican government, your administration operates without demanding bribes.”
He alleged that Mexican officials had extorted money from him on multiple occasions to allow his criminal activities to continue. Arellano criticized the conditions in Morelia prison in Michoacan, where his cartel operates, alleging widespread drug trafficking within the facility and questioning the government’s accountability.
Expressing his desire for scrutiny of the Mexican government by the US and the United Nations, Arellano accused the authorities of perpetuating conflicts and hindering the country’s progress through their corrupt practices.
In a separate video, Arellano denied involvement in violent crimes and appealed for the release of his wife and daughter, who were detained after the murder of a prominent agricultural figure, Bernardo Bravo Manriquez.
Manriquez, the head of the Apatzingan Valley Citrus Producers Association, was murdered in October after speaking out against extortion by criminal groups, as reported by CBS News. The Michoacan Attorney General’s Office has implicated Arellano in the killing, leading to multiple arrest warrants issued by state and federal authorities, with a reward offered for information leading to his capture.
Known for various illegal activities such as extortion, kidnapping, homicide, and territorial control in key agricultural areas, Los Blancos de Troya has been linked to criminal operations within the citrus industry.
While the current Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has extradited numerous cartel leaders to the US and collaborated on border security, she remains staunchly against foreign military intervention. President Trump recently mentioned the possibility of land operations against drug cartels following US actions in the Pacific and Caribbean.
Sheinbaum clarified on social media that she informed Trump that any deployment of US troops to Mexico was not under consideration when he proposed assistance in combating cartels.
