The Jalisco state prosecutor's office announced on 8/7 that 10 hitmen involved in the Izaguirre "extermination camp" case, which shocked the nation earlier this year, have been sentenced for kidnapping and murder. Each defendant received a sentence of 141 years and 3 months.
The announcement stated that the hitmen were arrested after firing on Mexican police and National Guard during a September 2024 inspection of the camp in Izaguirre, believed to be a training ground for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
At the time, authorities only discovered one body and two people being held captive at the camp.
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Mexican National Guard arrive at the Izaguirre camp in Teuchitlan, Jalisco state, a suspected Jalisco cartel hideout, on 13/3. Photo: AP |
Mexican National Guard arrive at the Izaguirre camp in Teuchitlan, Jalisco state, a suspected Jalisco cartel hideout, on 13/3. Photo: AP
About 6 months later, the Guerreros Buscadores, a volunteer group searching for missing people, entered the camp and uncovered multiple human remains and clandestine cremation ovens. Their discovery of the CJNG "extermination camp" shocked the nation.
Interior Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch later revealed that a suspect confessed that CJNG tortured and eliminated individuals who refused to cooperate or attempted to escape the training facility, but no evidence of mass killings had been found.
The Guerreros Buscadores disputed this conclusion, leading the Attorney General's Office to take over the investigation. Over the past 3 months, around 15 individuals connected to the camp have been arrested, including the mayor of Teuchitlan and several police officers.
The CJNG, one of Mexico's most powerful cartels, split from the Sinaloa cartel in 2010 after the Mexican military killed kingpin Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel Villarreal.
The cartel rapidly grew into a major force with 19,000 members, controlling vast territories through brutal tactics. Its leader, Nemesio Ruben "el Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, is wanted by the US government, which has offered a $15 million USD reward for information leading to his capture.
Both the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels are vying for control of large areas in Mexico, including the southern border with Guatemala. These two cartels are among six major Mexican criminal organizations designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the US government.
Thanh Danh (AFP, CBS)
