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Tren de Aragua and Albanian Mafia leaders moved to new Chilean prison to 2000s pop hit

The Ministry of Public Security of Chile has been accused of showing "no respect" after footage of prisoners, including Tren de Aragua and Albanian Mafia leaders, went viral after their transfer to a new prison featured an iconic track by NSYNC

[Prisoners being transferred to a new prison ]

Chile is facing backlash over a now viral clip of prisoners being transferred to a new prison

Some of the country's most dangerous prisoners, including reported leaders of Tren de Aragua and the Albanian Mafia, have been moved to a new high-security prison in Chile and sparked bizarre backlash over the now viral footage of the transfer.

The Chilean government transferred relocated 687 prisoners from around the country to the new La Laguna Prison on Thursday (August 13), as President Jose Antonio Kast seeks to regain momentum on his core campaign pledge to combat organised crime.

Kast personally travelled to the recently opened La Laguna Prison, which is now among Chile's biggest, to oversee the transfer that has been described as an effort to ease overcrowding in prisons and prevent incarcerated gang leaders from remotely running their criminal enterprises behind bars.

[Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast ]

Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast personally visited the prison to oversee the transfer

However, the move itself is not what sparked the outrage but it was the footage of the move that was posted on social media that caused the issue. Dubbed Operation Cerberus, footage showed dozens of inmates in rows with their heads bowed and shackled by their feet as they headed from the Justice Center in Santiago to the new prison.

However, the footage itself was also not the reason that some users on social media said it showed "no respect" and others believing the official government account was a "parody", but the choice in music.

The footage was accompanied by 2000s pop hit Bye Bye Bye by NSYNC with the The Ministry of Public Security of Chile captioning "Goodbye, crime. Welcome, maximum security".

One user commented: "BUT THEY USE NSYNC, THEY SHOW NO RESPECT." Another wrote: "I had to check carefully to make sure if it was a joke or the official government account."

A third added: "Is this an official government account? What a disgrace, such a lack of professionalism."

Some made comparisons to US President Donald Trump and the White House use of videos on social media, as others tagged NSYNC asking if this was an "inappropriate use of your music"

[The footage also showed inside the new prison ]

As well as seeing prisoners arrive, the footage also showed inside the new prison

Some recalled images from El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele has made a point of broadcasting his security crackdown on social media with some saying Kast gave a "Bukele-style" performance.

Bukele's mass incarceration campaign has sharply reduced violence but drawn allegations from human rights groups of arbitrary detention, abuse and the erosion of civil liberties.

Like other right-wing presidential contenders across Latin America, most recently in Colombia and Peru, Kast has invoked Bukele as a model for his own promises to fight organized crime.

[Prisoners being transported ]

Some users on social media said the government was mocking and showing 'no respect' to the prisoners (Image: @gobiernodechile/Instagram)

While campaigning last year, Kast visited El Salvador to study Bukele's security policies and tour the country's notorious mega-prison where visitation, recreation and education are not allowed.

"It's a way of sending criminals a clear message that things have changed: We are going to come after you, we are going to find you, you will be prosecuted and we are going to lock you up," Kast said in a press conference about the transfer.

Hundreds more prisoners are slated to arrive at La Laguna in stages as the government moves to fill the facility to its expected capacity of 2,097 inmates across over a dozen units, including maximum-security wings. It's equipped with 1,500 surveillance cameras, body scanners and technology designed to block mobile phone signals.

[Vehicles involved in the convoy ]

Footage also showed vehicles involved in the convoy to the new prison (Image: @gobiernodechile/Instagram)

The prison, billed as Chile's most modern and secure facility, opened last year under Kast's predecessor, left-wing President Gabriel Boric, and began receiving inmates months before Kast, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, took office.

Kast's bid to publicize the move comes as he seeks to make good on his flagship security pledges after a bumpy start.

"If there is one issue on which the public is demanding action from all of us, it is greater security," Kast said Thursday. "And that is what we are delivering now: a secure transfer and a clear message to organized crime and terrorism."

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