A Mexican court sentences 10 men to 141 years each in a cartel-run
recruitment ranch
[July 09, 2025]
By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican court on Tuesday sentenced 10 men to
141-year prison terms each for their involvement in a ranch in the
western Mexican state of Jalisco that was used by a feared cartel to
recruit members, kill and disappear victims.
The discovery earlier this year of the Izaguirre ranch, used by the
Jalisco New Generation Cartel for recruitment and training since 2021,
had sparked alarm and fear across the region.
The 10 men were arrested in September 2024 during an initial raid on the
property. They were convicted on Monday in the disappearance and murder
of three victims. On Tuesday, each was sentenced to 141 years and three
months in prison, and ordered to pay 1.3 million pesos (about $65,000)
in restitution to the victims' families, the local prosecutor's office
said.
Five other suspects detained in the case are still awaiting trial,
including three municipal police officers, a CJNG operative who
allegedly recruited new members, and José Murguía Santiago, the mayor of
Teuchitlan, the municipality where the ranch is located.
Murguía Santiago was arrested just days after Mexico’s Attorney General
Alejandro Gertz Manero revealed that since 2021, the Jalisco state Human
Rights Commission had alerted Teuchitlan authorities about the ranch
being operated by CJNG, but the warning was ignored for years.
The case had sparked a major controversy after Guerrero Buscadores de
Jalisco — a group that searches for missing persons — reported in March
5 the discovery of numerous charred human bones and hundreds of clothing
items and shoes at the site.
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Police stand guard outside the entrance of the Izaguirre Ranch where
skeletal remains were discovered in Teuchitlan, Jalisco state,
Mexico, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandra Leyva, File)
The shock brought back into the spotlight stark violence and rampant
impunity in cartel-plagued parts of the Latin American nation and
the tragedy of the investigations into Mexico's 130,000 missing
people.
Following that report, it emerged that Jalisco’s state prosecutors
had not moved forward with the investigation for several months
after the initial raid on the ranch, when the National Guard
intervened and arrested the 10 men. During that operation, one body
and two of the men later detained were found on the ranch.
Due to missteps and omissions by state authorities, the federal
Attorney General’s Office took over the case — but criticism
persisted.
At the end of April, Gertz Manero dismissed claims that cremation
sites existed at “Rancho Izaguirre,” fueling backlash from
activists. The group Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco responded,
saying it had recovered “17 sets of charred human bone remains” from
the site, which are now in the custody of forensics teams.
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