According to a news report by Forbes, a cartel in Mexico has been using Grand Theft Auto Online as a means to recruit members. Although GTA Online has been an incredibly popular tool for fans of the series to join together and complete fun missions, it seems some more nefarious elements are using the social aspect for real-life crimes.

When GTA Online first launched as a companion to Grand Theft Auto 5, many players were skeptical of how long the open-world game would last. Now, almost a decade after it launched, GTA Online is one of the most played and viewed online games in the world. This is thanks in large part due to the consistent support by developer Rockstar Games. Servers like the popular GTA RP server have risen up to create entire communities of players who play certain roles within an ongoing saga with the same players. Because of GTA Online's incredible popularity, it's become a hub for like-minded communities to connect. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be positive in all situations.

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A report by Forbes says that members of a Mexican cartel have been using the popular online game as a means for recruiting drug mules to carry drugs across the border. Per the report, Customs and Border Protection officials in Arizona discovered narcotics inside a vehicle. The driver of said vehicle told the officials that, while playing Grand Theft Auto, she met a person who called himself "George." Eventually, the driver and George developed a relationship outside of GTA Online and he asked her to begin transporting electronics across the border. It is unclear how much of this story is credible or believed by US officials, but it would certainly be one of the wildest uses of GTA Online if true.

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Of course, GTA Online has its darker side. Players have been trolled, doxxed, and swatted by other players or viewers on various streaming platforms. As is typical with a popular, social game, GTA Online players have experienced toxicity and harassment. Even so, all of those incidents seem to be tame compared to the incredulous tale of a person getting recruited to work for a drug cartel via the game.

Although GTA Online continues to power forward in a strong situation, fans of the game are already looking forward to the future of the series. The long-awaited sequel to Grand Theft Auto 5, the still-unannounced GTA 6 is in the works, though Rockstar has been mum on any details. For now, fans will have to keep their eyes and ears open when playing GTA Online and be careful who they're talking to.

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Source: Forbes