SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Following the cancellation of a second big-name concert in Tijuana in less than two weeks, Mayor Montserrat Caballero hinted that the performers are partially to blame.
Caballero went on to say the artists and promoters should be investigated for their possible ties to drug cartels.
“It’s important to know what these singers and promoters have been up to,” she said.
The mayor believes the two artists whose concerts were canceled — Peso Pluma and Fuerza Regida — have ties to one cartel, making them targets of another crime syndicate.
Like Peso Pluma, Fuerza Regida performs regional Mexican music. They are from San Bernardino, California, and were scheduled to perform Friday at Tijuana’s Estadio Caliente, where Peso Pluma was scheduled to perform next Saturday
“Certain singers only sing about one group of delinquents while others sing about another group of delinquents, what is behind all of this?” Caballero said. “These narco banners threatening singers are aimed at singers who sing ballads about drug cartels.”
The mayor was referring to banners that have been left out in public spaces purportedly threatening the lives of both Peso Pluma and the members of Fuerza Regida, who were told if they took the stage, it would be “the last show of their lives.”
Both performers were named in banners signed by the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, a rival of the Sinaloa cartel whose former leader, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, has been the subject of songs written or performed by both Peso Pluma and Fuerza Regida.
When asked by reporters if her administration had anything to do with the shows being canceled, Caballero said it was the promoters’ doing.
“We had nothing to do with it,” she said. “The promoters on their own put out notices on social media.”
Facundo Galvez, a record producer and promoter in Tijuana who is not affiliated with either of the canceled shows, said this is bad for the city’s image and its economy.
“A large part of the people who come to large events in Baja California come from Southern California or other parts of California,” said Galvez. “In the end, we’re all living in uncertain and unsafe times, we’re caught in a war between cartels, so when it comes to this type of music, we’re going to continue seeing these threats.”
