Nearly three weeks since the news regarding the Izaguirre Ranch extermination camp went viral, Mexican authorities captured the first suspect linked to the compound ran by the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
Concretely, members of the Mexican National Guard and from the Secretary of National Defense secured the arrest of José Gregorio "N," commonly known as "El Lastra" or "Comandante Lastra." Authorities said he was in charge of a criminal cell that recruited new cartel members and trained them at the Izaguirre Ranch, located in the municipality of Teuchitlán, Jalisco.
Mexico's Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection, Omar García Harfuch, said onhis X account that the arrest was an important step towards the "pacification of our country."
Resultado de investigaciones de gabinete y campo desarrolladas desde hace meses, en una acción de el Gabinete de Seguridad fue detenido en la Ciudad de México José Gregorio "N", alias "Lastra", líder de la célula delictiva vinculada al reclutamiento de personas para el CJNG.… pic.twitter.com/0pSFr3NhMA
— Omar H Garcia Harfuch (@OHarfuch) March 22, 2025
While talking to members of the media on March 25, Harfuch revealed criminal investigations found that "El Lastra" led a criminal cell responsible for recruiting people through the use of fake job postings.
The recruitment scheme included fake job postings on social media and closed groups in which people were offered security guard positions with salaries ranging from $200 to $600 a week. Once people reached out, "El Lastra" and his group picked up those interested at nearby bus terminals and transported them to the Izaguirre Ranch.
Harfuch then revealed that "El Lastra" and his criminal cell recruited individuals from at least May 2024 to March 2025, when José Gregorio "N" was arrested along the Mexico-Toluca highway in Mexico City.
José Gregorio "N" was a close ally of Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán, also known as "El Sapo," who according to authorities is the regional CJNG leader in the states of Jalisco, Nayarit and Zacatecas. The pair met in Puerto Vallarta on March 10, with "El Sapo" allegedly telling "El Lastra" to put an end to the cartel's recruitment scheme in Teuchitlán. After their meeting, José Gregorio "N" fled to Tala, Jalisco, where he was hiding for several days until his arrest in Mexico City on March 22.
Harfuch revealed that after securing the arrest of "El Lastra," government officials deactivated 39 social media accounts used by his criminal cell used to recruit people.
In the testimony provided after his arrest, "El Lastra" acknowledged that the cartel killed those who resisted receiving the training, as well as those who tried to escape from the ranch.
El detenido tenía a su cargo un centro de adiestramiento en Teuchitlán y era responsable del reclutamiento en redes sociales. Los reclutados eran trasladados, les quitaban el celular, los incomunicaban, adoctrinaban y eran asignados a distintos estados para incrementar el estado…
— Omar H Garcia Harfuch (@OHarfuch) March 24, 2025
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