Since 2021, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) used the Izaguirre Ranch in Teuchitlán in Jalisco, central-western Mexico, for recruitment and training, it has been confirmed
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is considered one of the most dangerous criminal organisations and the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico.
Earlier this year, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) warned that CJNG could potentially become even more powerful by entering an alliance with the Los Chapitos faction of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, with the risk of spreading devastating drug wars further across North and South America. Over the past few years, CJNG has been blamed for a number of high-profile incidents, including an attack on Mexican news anchor Ciro Gómez Leyva. Now, a training and recruitment centre used by the cartel has been uncovered.
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The attack on Ciro Gomez Leyva, ordered by the cartel’s leader, happened in December 2022 while the journalist was driving near his home in Mexico City, but thanks to his bulletproof vehicle he survived and was unharmed. Last week, attackers Héctor Martínez Jiménez, ‘El Bart,’ and Pool Pedro Gómez Jaramillo, ‘El Pool,’ were sentenced to prison for the attempted murder of the journalist.
It has now been confirmed that since 2021, CJNG used a ranch in the western state of Jalisco for cartel recruitment and training. The Izaguirre Ranch is located in Teuchitlan, about 37 miles (60km) from Guadalajara. It was originally found by National Guard troops last September.
At that time, authorities said 10 people were arrested, two hostages were freed and a body was found. They described it as a cartel training site and despite an investigation being opened, it later stalled. Then in March this year, relatives searching for missing family members – presumed to be victims of organised crime – inspected the ranch and reported finding hundreds of pieces of clothing and numerous bone fragments.
This prompted them to alert authorities that the ranch could have been a mass killing site, with some labelling it “Mexico’s Auschwitz”. In April, Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero said it was “absolutely proven” that the ranch was used by the cartel. However, he said there was no evidence of bodies being burned there.
Omar García Harfuch, Mexico’s security chief, told reporters that online ads from cartels offered salaries of between $200 and $600 a week – well above the $100 to $150 that many Mexicans earn in a week. He said recruits were directed to bus stations, from where they were transported to the ranch for training.
Once at the camp, recruits would need to give up their clothing and cellphones, cut off contacts with the outside world, and wear the uniforms and tactical boots provided. According to authorities, this might explain why so many abandoned personal effects were discovered at the ranch.
Mr García Harfuch said training consisted of a one-month course of physical drills and firearms training, required before many were incorporated into the cartel structure. He revealed that those who refused training or tried to escape may have faced beatings, torture or even death.
A US Drug Enforcement Agency investigation crowns the Jalisco cartel as one of the most powerful drug trafficking organisations in all of Mexico. The gangsters were originally part of the Sinaloa cartel, but split from the group following the military killing of Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel Villarreal in 2010. Now the two organisations are at war, fighting to control the southern part of the country.
For their turf war, the gangsters need soldiers, and a new investigation has revealed the deceptive methods they use to recruit new members. It appears that the drug traffickers have their own social media marketing unit after trends emerged on TikTok showing young adults sharing their intention to become cartel triggermen.
In one video, a man who identified himself as Ángel “N” said: “I am 21 years old and I am going to work as a sicario [contracted killer] for the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación. Nobody is forcing me, I am doing it of my own free will…I am from the State of Mexico.” In a second video, a woman called Guadalupe said: “I am 32 years of age, I live in the State of Mexico and I am going to become a sicario for the four letters (referring to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel).”
Similar videos have been shared by dozens of other social media users. They express plans to join the Comando Calavera – which is responsible for the states bordering Michoacán and Jalisco. The Comando Calavera is said to be based in three municipalities, one of which, Teuchitlán, was where the training and execution ranch was found.