In a shocking development, prosecutors in Mexico have arrested José Murguía Santiago, the mayor of Teuchitlán, as part of a larger investigation into a suspected cartel training site nearby. Murguía is alleged to have connections with the infamous New Generation Jalisco Cartel (CJNG), allegations he has fervently denied. The investigation was ignited after activists uncovered bone fragments alongside hundreds of discarded personal items, including shoes and backpacks, at the Izaguirre ranch just outside Teuchitlán in March.
Human rights activists have expressed grave concerns, suggesting that the property may have served as an "extermination camp" where individuals were forcibly recruited, trained, and met a gruesome fate if they resisted. The harrowing revelations have sent shockwaves throughout the country, grappling with rampant cartel violence and an alarming number of disappearances.
Attorney General Alejandro Gertz held a press conference last week, providing updates on the inquiry. He confirmed that the ranch had been utilized as a training center for CJNG recruits, a powerful drug trafficking organization based in Jalisco. However, he clarified that forensic tests did not support claims of the site being an extermination or cremation ground, asserting that the bone fragments found were old and that the fires at the site were insufficient in removing human remains.
The Attorney General's statements sparked frustration among "searchers," who are families of the over 120,000 individuals reported missing across Mexico in recent years. These relatives are demanding a thorough investigation into the discovery, particularly regarding the ownership of the numerous abandoned items and the fate of those associated with them.
They criticized Gertz for failing to provide clear answers and are pressing authorities to pursue any potential ties between local officials and the CJNG. The arrest of Mayor Murguía Santiago is part of ongoing efforts to unravel the web of corruption and violence linked to the cartel. Before his arrest, the mayor declared his innocence to local media, expressing his readiness to cooperate with investigators: "If they want to investigate me, let them, I'm clean and willing to say what I know." However, prosecutors argue that he was aware of the training center's existence yet chose to remain silent about it.
Human rights activists have expressed grave concerns, suggesting that the property may have served as an "extermination camp" where individuals were forcibly recruited, trained, and met a gruesome fate if they resisted. The harrowing revelations have sent shockwaves throughout the country, grappling with rampant cartel violence and an alarming number of disappearances.
Attorney General Alejandro Gertz held a press conference last week, providing updates on the inquiry. He confirmed that the ranch had been utilized as a training center for CJNG recruits, a powerful drug trafficking organization based in Jalisco. However, he clarified that forensic tests did not support claims of the site being an extermination or cremation ground, asserting that the bone fragments found were old and that the fires at the site were insufficient in removing human remains.
The Attorney General's statements sparked frustration among "searchers," who are families of the over 120,000 individuals reported missing across Mexico in recent years. These relatives are demanding a thorough investigation into the discovery, particularly regarding the ownership of the numerous abandoned items and the fate of those associated with them.
They criticized Gertz for failing to provide clear answers and are pressing authorities to pursue any potential ties between local officials and the CJNG. The arrest of Mayor Murguía Santiago is part of ongoing efforts to unravel the web of corruption and violence linked to the cartel. Before his arrest, the mayor declared his innocence to local media, expressing his readiness to cooperate with investigators: "If they want to investigate me, let them, I'm clean and willing to say what I know." However, prosecutors argue that he was aware of the training center's existence yet chose to remain silent about it.
