Latest news with #AlejandroGertzManero
The Independent
09-07-2025
- The Independent
A Mexican court sentences 10 men to 141 years each in a cartel-run recruitment ranch
A Mexican court on Tuesday sentenced 10 men to 141-year prison terms each for their involvement in a ranch in the western Mexican state of Jalisco that was used by a feared cartel to recruit members, kill and disappear victims. The discovery earlier this year of the Izaguirre ranch, used by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel for recruitment and training since 2021, had sparked alarm and fear across the region. The 10 men were arrested in September 2024 during an initial raid on the property. They were convicted on Monday in the disappearance and murder of three victims. On Tuesday, each was sentenced to 141 years and three months in prison, and ordered to pay 1.3 million pesos (about $65,000) in restitution to the victims' families, the local prosecutor's office said. Five other suspects detained in the case are still awaiting trial, including three municipal police officers, a CJNG operative who allegedly recruited new members, and José Murguía Santiago, the mayor of Teuchitlan, the municipality where the ranch is located. Murguía Santiago was arrested just days after Mexico's Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero revealed that since 2021, the Jalisco state Human Rights Commission had alerted Teuchitlan authorities about the ranch being operated by CJNG, but the warning was ignored for years. The case had sparked a major controversy after Guerrero Buscadores de Jalisco — a group that searches for missing persons — reported in March 5 the discovery of numerous charred human bones and hundreds of clothing items and shoes at the site. The shock brought back into the spotlight stark violence and rampant impunity in cartel-plagued parts of the Latin American nation and the tragedy of the investigations into Mexico's 130,000 missing people. Following that report, it emerged that Jalisco's state prosecutors had not moved forward with the investigation for several months after the initial raid on the ranch, when the National Guard intervened and arrested the 10 men. During that operation, one body and two of the men later detained were found on the ranch. Due to missteps and omissions by state authorities, the federal Attorney General's Office took over the case — but criticism persisted. At the end of April, Gertz Manero dismissed claims that cremation sites existed at 'Rancho Izaguirre,' fueling backlash from activists. The group Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco responded, saying it had recovered '17 sets of charred human bone remains' from the site, which are now in the custody of forensics teams. ____
National Post
07-07-2025
- National Post
Boxing great Julio Cesar Chavez defends son arrested by US immigration agents
As a professional, Julio Cesar Chavez fought 115 times in the ring. Now, the former world champion said he was ready to fight outside of it to defend his same-name son, who was arrested by U.S. immigration agents at his Los Angeles home for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application. Article content The 39-year-old Chavez Junior also has an active warrant for his arrest in Mexico for alleged arms and drug trafficking and suggested ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. Article content Article content 'It's complicated, there's a lot of talk, but we're calm because we know my son's innocence,' the elder Chavez told El Heraldo newspaper. 'My son will be anything you want, anything, but he is not a criminal and less everything he's being accused of.' Article content Alejandro Gertz Manero, Mexico's Attorney General, said on Sunday that the investigation against Chavez Junior started in 2019 after a complaint filed by U.S. authorities against the Sinaloa Cartel for organized crime, human trafficking, arms trafficking, and drug trafficking. Article content 'He knows a lot of people, we live in Culiacan, it would be impossible not to know all of the people that are doing illicit stuff, but that does not mean nothing,' Chavez said. 'In my time I met everybody, and they did not come after me.' Article content Chavez senior was considered one of the best Mexican boxers of all time; a world champion at three divisions. In the 1980s and '90s he was a huge celebrity who mixed with drug dealers. He claimed in the past to have been friends with drug lord Amado Carrillo Fuentes. Article content Article content Gertz Manero said Chavez Junior's lawyers have requested at least five injunctions in Mexico, which have been rejected because the boxer is still in the United States. Article content 'Lawyers in the United States are working to see if he stays there, and we're prepared if he comes here,' Chavez senior said. 'We'll fight under Mexican law if he's transferred here.' Article content The son's arrest came only days after the former middleweight champion lost to influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a bout in Anaheim, California. Article content The Department of Homeland Security said officials determined Chavez Junior should be arrested on June 27, the day before the fight. It was unclear why they waited to act for days after the high-profile event. Article content 'Why did they let him fight? My son has been paying taxes in the United States for three years, and now in Mexico they're accusing him of money laundering,' Chavez senior said. 'Yes, he knows those people, but that doesn't mean I'm a drug trafficker. Let's trust the law.' Article content
The Independent
07-07-2025
- The Independent
Boxing great Julio César Chávez defends son arrested by US immigration agents
As a professional, Julio César Chávez fought 115 times in the ring. Now, the former world champion said he was ready to fight outside of it to defend his same-name son, who was arrested by U.S. immigration agents at his Los Angeles home for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application. The 39-year-old Chávez Junior also has an active warrant for his arrest in Mexico for alleged arms and drug trafficking and suggested ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. 'It's complicated, there's a lot of talk, but we're calm because we know my son's innocence,' the elder Chavez told El Heraldo newspaper. 'My son will be anything you want, anything, but he is not a criminal and less everything he's being accused of.' Alejandro Gertz Manero, Mexico's Attorney General, said on Sunday that the investigation against Chávez Junior started in 2019 after a complaint filed by U.S. authorities against the Sinaloa Cartel for organized crime, human trafficking, arms trafficking, and drug trafficking. 'He knows a lot of people, we live in Culiacan, it would be impossible not to know all of the people that are doing illicit stuff, but that does not mean nothing,' Chavez said. 'In my time I met everybody, and they did not come after me.' Chávez senior was considered one of the best Mexican boxers of all time; a world champion at three divisions. In the 1980s and '90s he was a huge celebrity who mixed with drug dealers. He claimed in the past to have been friends with drug lord Amado Carrillo Fuentes. Gertz Manero said Chavez Junior's lawyers have requested at least five injunctions in Mexico, which have been rejected because the boxer is still in the United States. 'Lawyers in the United States are working to see if he stays there, and we're prepared if he comes here," Chavez senior said. "We'll fight under Mexican law if he's transferred here." The son's arrest came only days after the former middleweight champion lost to influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a bout in Anaheim, California. The Department of Homeland Security said officials determined Chávez Junior should be arrested on June 27, the day before the fight. It was unclear why they waited to act for days after the high-profile event. 'Why did they let him fight? My son has been paying taxes in the United States for three years, and now in Mexico they're accusing him of money laundering," Chavez senior said. "Yes, he knows those people, but that doesn't mean I'm a drug trafficker. Let's trust the law.' ___
Associated Press
07-07-2025
- Associated Press
Boxing great Julio César Chávez defends son arrested by US immigration agents
MEXICO CITY (AP) — As a professional, Julio César Chávez fought 115 times in the ring. Now, the former world champion said he was ready to fight outside of it to defend his same-name son, who was arrested by U.S. immigration agents at his Los Angeles home for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application. The 39-year-old Chávez Junior also has an active warrant for his arrest in Mexico for alleged arms and drug trafficking and suggested ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. 'It's complicated, there's a lot of talk, but we're calm because we know my son's innocence,' the elder Chavez told El Heraldo newspaper. 'My son will be anything you want, anything, but he is not a criminal and less everything he's being accused of.' Alejandro Gertz Manero, Mexico's Attorney General, said on Sunday that the investigation against Chávez Junior started in 2019 after a complaint filed by U.S. authorities against the Sinaloa Cartel for organized crime, human trafficking, arms trafficking, and drug trafficking. 'He knows a lot of people, we live in Culiacan, it would be impossible not to know all of the people that are doing illicit stuff, but that does not mean nothing,' Chavez said. 'In my time I met everybody, and they did not come after me.' Chávez senior was considered one of the best Mexican boxers of all time; a world champion at three divisions. In the 1980s and '90s he was a huge celebrity who mixed with drug dealers. He claimed in the past to have been friends with drug lord Amado Carrillo Fuentes. Gertz Manero said Chavez Junior's lawyers have requested at least five injunctions in Mexico, which have been rejected because the boxer is still in the United States. 'Lawyers in the United States are working to see if he stays there, and we're prepared if he comes here,' Chavez senior said. 'We'll fight under Mexican law if he's transferred here.' The son's arrest came only days after the former middleweight champion lost to influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a bout in Anaheim, California. The Department of Homeland Security said officials determined Chávez Junior should be arrested on June 27, the day before the fight. It was unclear why they waited to act for days after the high-profile event. 'Why did they let him fight? My son has been paying taxes in the United States for three years, and now in Mexico they're accusing him of money laundering,' Chavez senior said. 'Yes, he knows those people, but that doesn't mean I'm a drug trafficker. Let's trust the law.' ___ AP boxing:
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Mexico's top lawman: Ranch in Jalisco was a cartel training site, not a crematorium
The discovery in March of a "death ranch" in western Jalisco state sparked a national outcry: Some labeled it "Mexico's Auschwitz" after civilian searchers found charred bones and what appeared to be makeshift crematoria. Piles of abandoned shoes, backpacks and clothing became vivid symbols of Mexico's crisis of the disappeared, now officially numbering more than 120,000 vanished individuals, most presumed victims of organized crime. Mystery has continued to swirl about the site — and, on Tuesday, Mexican Atty. Gen. Alejandro Gertz Manero briefed journalists on the long-awaited findings of the federal investigation. But his responses left more questions than answers about the grisly find that garnered both domestic and international headlines — and became an embarrassment for the government of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who vowed that Mexicans would know "the truth" about what went on at the ranch. Read more: Families flock to Mexican murder ranch, hoping for signs of loved ones Gertz confirmed that the ranch — situated in an agricultural zone about 37 miles outside Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city — had operated as a training and operations hub for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, among Mexico's most powerful criminal syndicates. But a forensic investigation found "not a shred of proof" that corpses were burned at the site, Gertz told reporters, dismissing the notion that the ranch had been a cartel extermination center. The origins of the charred bones found at the locale, known as Rancho Izaguirre, remained unclear, and Gertz said forensic analysis was continuing. No bodies or complete sets of bones were found, he said. The attorney general's findings drew criticism from advocates for the disappeared. "I feel great indignation with the attorney general and with President Sheinbaum for this insult against us and so many families who believed there would be a real investigation," said Raúl Servín, a member of the group Warrior Searchers of Jalisco, whose visit to the site in March triggered the public outcry about the ranch. "This is a great deception." Federal investigations were still trying to determine why authorities in Jalisco state took no action for years, despite indications that the cartel had been operating at the ranch since at least 2021. The National Guard raided Rancho Izaguirre last September, ending its tenure as a training camp. On that occasion, according to Jalisco prosecutors, authorities arrested 10 suspects who remain in custody, though authorities have not clarified what charges they face. Investigators also found a body wrapped in plastic and freed two captives. However, the case of Rancho Izaguirre did not explode into the public realm until last month, when a group of civilian searchers seeking traces of the disappeared entered the site and said they had found human remains and abandoned belongings. Still opaque is the fate of the many people, some apparently recruits for the cartel, who passed through the camp. Previously, authorities have said that many were deceived into joining the cartel ranks, often after responding to online ads offering well-paying positions as security guards and other posts. Others have speculated that they may have been willing recruits into the ranks of organized crime, which is among Mexico's largest employers. Read more: Mexican cartel mystery: Abandoned shoes, cryptic writings, charred bones Since the case of the ranch broke open, authorities say, Mexican officials have shut down dozens of online sites linked to organized crime recruiting operations. In March, 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. Recruits were directed to bus stations, from where they were transported to the ranch, he said. At the camp, officials said, recruits relinquished their clothing and cellphones, remained incommunicado to the outside world, and were issued uniforms and tactical boots — a process that might explain the piles of abandoned personal effects found at the site. The recruits underwent a one-month course of physical drills and firearms training, García Harfuch said, before many were incorporated into the cartel structure. Those who refused training, or tried to escape, may have faced beatings, torture and even death, García Harfuch said. Mexican authorities announced last month the arrest of the alleged camp ringleader, identified only as "José Gregorio N," and known as "El Lastra" or "Comandante Lastra," a top recruiter for the Jalisco cartel. The many questions about the site continue to haunt many in Mexico, especially the searchers who arrived at the site in March and distributed photos of abandoned personal items, charred bones and other chilling finds. "We found those crematoria, we found those bones," said Servín, the Jalisco searcher. "We found evidence. And now they tell us it is not the case. One feels a great sense of impotence." Special correspondent Cecilia Sánchez Vidal contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
