Latest news with #JaliscoState
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Al Arabiya
A Mexican court sentences 10 men to 141 years each in a cartel-run recruitment ranch
A Mexican court sentenced ten men to 141-year prison terms each for their involvement in a Jalisco ranch used by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) to recruit members, kill, and disappear victims. The discovery earlier this year of the Izaguirre ranch, used by the CJNG since 2021, sparked alarm and fear across the region. The ten men were arrested in September 2024 during an initial raid. They were convicted of the disappearance and murder of three victims and ordered to pay 1.3 million pesos (about $65,000) in restitution to the victims' families. Five other suspects await trial, including three municipal police officers, a CJNG operative, and Teuchitlan's mayor, José Murguía Santiago. Murguía Santiago was arrested after Mexico's Attorney General revealed that since 2021, the Jalisco state Human Rights Commission had alerted Teuchitlan authorities about the ranch but was ignored. The case sparked controversy after Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco, a group that searches for missing persons, reported finding numerous charred human bones, clothing, and shoes at the site in March. This highlighted the violence and impunity in cartel-plagued areas and the tragedy of Mexico's 130,000 missing people. Following the report, it emerged that Jalisco state prosecutors delayed the investigation for several months after the initial raid, when the National Guard intervened and arrested the ten men. One body and two of the later-detained men were found on the ranch. Due to missteps by state authorities, the federal Attorney General's Office took over the case. In late April, Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero dismissed claims of cremation sites at Rancho Izaguirre, fueling backlash from activists. Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco responded, saying it recovered seventeen sets of charred human bone remains, now in the custody of forensics teams.
The Independent
4 days ago
- 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. ____
