The Jalisco Prosecutor's Office announced that 10 suspects arrested at the Izaguirre Ranch, a property used by the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) as a confinement, training and extermination center, have been formally charged with kidnapping after a victim who recognized them from unrelated events led authorities to reopen their legal proceedings.
The small rural community located in the municipality of Teuchitlán, Jalisco, has been at the forefront of the conversation in Mexico after a group of volunteers found burnt human remains hidden underground while inspecting the property.
The 10 suspects accused of forced kidnapping were originally arrested last year, when an anonymous caller notified authorities of a ranch 36 miles west of Guadalajara that was allegedly being used by the CJNG as a confinement, training and extermination center.
Members of the National Guard then made the arrests, rescued two people that had been kidnapped and found a dead body at the scene.
State authorities were able to charge the suspects after a victim identified the 10 men in connection with unrelated incidents not tied to their original arrest. According to local media outlets, the Jalisco Prosecutor's Office said the charges followed "extensive investigations" conducted by the Vice Prosecutor's Office for Missing Persons.
A judge ordered the 10 suspects to remain under preventive detention until their hearing is held in the "upcoming days."
Just a few days ago, members of the Mexican National Guard and from the Secretary of National Defense also secured the arrest of José Gregorio "N," commonly known as "El Lastra" or "Comandante Lastra." Authorities say he was in charge of a criminal cell that recruited new cartel members and trained them at the Izaguirre Ranch.
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
Mexico's Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection, Omar García Harfuch, confirmed to press last week that criminal investigations found "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 them up at nearby bus terminals and transported them to the Teuchitlán ranch.
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.
Since the volunteer group made the discovery on March 5, federal authorities, social media influencers, and even alleged members of the Jalisco cartel have presented conflicting accounts of what was actually happening at the ranch, but landing on theory that the property was only used to train new recruits.
As investigations on the matter continue, state authorities in Jalisco officially completed the transfer of the Izaguirre Ranch to Mexico's Attorney General's Office on March 25.
"At this point, the case is a federal matter now. The site is occupied by federal authorities and forensic experts are investigating the property to determine the reality of what is there," said Mexico's Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero during a press conference.
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