Mexico City (AFP) - Mexico's president on Tuesday urged citizens not to be deceived by drug cartels, after footage emerged of suspected gang members distributing toys and Christmas gifts in a major city.

Authorities said they opened an investigation after video footage posted on social media showed alleged criminals in decorated trucks distributing toys to children in Guadalajara.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador addressed the citizens during a press conference, saying, "Do not let them manipulate you, even if they give you food. They do not do this with good intentions, but to use you as shields."

He added that the goal of the gangs is to encourage people to alert them "if cocaine is seized, for example, so that residents rush to protect the smugglers."

According to local media, the gift distributors are believed to belong to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the most violent gangs in a country plagued by drug-related crime.

During the outbreak of the Covid epidemic, it was also reported that foodstuffs from the same cartel were distributed in several regions in western Mexico, and gift boxes bearing the image of the notorious drug dealer Joaquín El Chapo Guzman were also spotted in the state of Sinaloa.