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NeoGAFs Kent Brockman
GTA Online Reportedly Being Used as Real-Life Recruitment Tool for Drug Cartels
Mexican drug cartels have apparently been using games such as GTA Online as a real-life [...]
Mexican drug cartels have apparently been using games such as GTA Online as a real-life recruitment tool to enlist drug mules. According to reporting from Forbes, Mexican police first made claims about the game being used as a recruitment tool last year, and now the outlet has discovered one specific case tied to the game. Alyssa Navarro was reportedly contacted last January by a cartel member while playing the game, before moving to Snap Chat and eventually an in-person meeting. Navarro was arrested by Customs and Border Protection in Arizona in November, when she was found in a Jeep Cherokee filled with 60kg of methamphetamine.
Navarro's contact apparently offered her up to $2,000 for each trip, as well as the use of a vehicle. Forbes' reporting seems to imply that Navarro was under the impression she was transporting electronics, as opposed to drugs. The methamphetamine was discovered in the fuel tank of the car. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Navarro with conspiracy to import and sell methamphetamine, and possession. She has pleaded not guilty.
GTA Online isn't the only online game that is reportedly being used to recruit young people to work for crime cartels. In December, Mexican authorities reported they apprehended three young boys who had been recruited by cartel members playing the popular mobile battle royal game Free Fire. The boys were allegedly promised $200 a week to work as "lookouts."
