Mexico City, Mexico – Mexico officials on March 24 revealed details about the arrest of José Gregorio Lastra, an alleged leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), accused of being behind “Rancho Izaguirre,” a gruesome extermination camp uncovered in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, earlier this month.
During a press conference, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch shared that Lastra, also known as “Commander Lastra,” was responsible for the kidnappings, torture, and murders that took place at Rancho Izaguirre.
Speaking with Aztec Reports, Jorge Ramírez, a researcher from the University of Guadalajara and a member of the University Committee for the Analysis of Disappearances, explained how the CJNG is forcing local men to join the cartel.
“There’s a distinct difference between what happens in the north of the country with the Sinaloa Cartel and what occurs here in Jalisco. It seems that [in Jalisco] they face more difficulty recruiting young people voluntarily, so they resort to these practices,” Ramírez said, referring to Rancho Izaguirre, which has also been described as a bootcamp for new cartel recruits.
“In Sinaloa, at least, it’s not documented that something similar occurs—this deprivation of liberty and forced participation within the cartel. This is a cultural and social difference between this area, at least between Sinaloa and Jalisco,” the researcher added.
On March 5, collectives dedicated to finding the disappeared in Mexico reported what appeared to be a mass extermination camp, where the cartel murdered and attempted to disappear an unknown number of victims.
So far, authorities and search groups in Jalisco have reported that the ranch was used as a training ground for kidnapping victims to be forcibly integrated into the ranks of the cartel.
After Lastra’s arrest, the Mexican government has delved deeper into the operations of Rancho Izaguirre. Lastra’s testimonies provided to the authorities confirmed that he was in charge of the ranch as well as the forced recruitment, training, torture, and killing of those who ended up there.
The cartel operated through social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok, where they lured people in search of work with fake job offers for positions such as security guards, with supposed weekly salaries ranging from USD $200 to $600.
“They are young people in vulnerable conditions, mostly minors, who are much easier to question and convince to get involved in these dynamics, which involve preparing them as hitmen, making them insensitive to pain and death, and then incorporating them into the group’s ranks,” said Ramírez.
People were called to bus stations, where they were then taken to Rancho Izaguirre in Teuchitlán. Victims were stripped of their belongings, including clothing and cell phones, and dressed in “tactical gear.”
“The training lasted approximately one month, during which time they were incommunicado. Depending on their aptitudes, recruits were given a position within the organization and were also assigned to different entities to increase the strength of the criminal organization,” said Security Minister García Harfuch.
Although the Mexican government has emphasized that there is no evidence to suggest that Rancho Izaguirre is an extermination camp, a label given by the group of searchers who discovered the site, as well as by investigators and human rights defenders, García Harfuch acknowledged during a press conference that those who did not obey cartel orders were killed, according to Lastra’s account.
“According to the detainee’s testimony, they even killed people who resisted the training or tried to escape from the place, as well as beat them and subjected them to torture,” he said.
According to García Harfuch, the camp operated from May 2024 to March 2025.
“The Jalisco New Generation Cartel has been very skillful and clear that [forceful disappearance] is the way to go. And they have followed it for several years. The Jalisco Cartel, has shown over time an increase in sadism and brutality as a distinctive trademark,” added Rodríguez.
Featured image credit: via Omar García Harfuch’s X Profile
