Mexican authorities arrest cartel leader linked to extermination camp in Mexico

MEXICO CITY

The Ministry of Security on Monday announced the arrest of a cartel leader and the head of a forced recruitment center, where authorities discovered the remains of victims and their clothing.

The suspected high-ranking member of the Jalisco Cartel New Generation, Jose Gregorio Lastra Hermida, was arrested in a joint operation by the Mexican military, the National Guard, and the police on March 20.

During Monday's morning briefing, Mexico's top security chief, Omar Garcia Harfuch, stated that Lastra was the mastermind behind the "Izaguirre Ranch," a camp where the cartel allegedly trained individuals forced into working for them.

The Izaguirre Ranch has been labeled an extermination camp due to the extreme violence and the unknown number of victims who are suspected to have been murdered at the site.

According to Garcia Harfuch, Lastra, or "Commander Lastra" as he was known within the cartel, was in charge of the ranch located in the town of Teuchitlán, Jalisco— the cartel's home state and stronghold.

"He mainly used social networks to offer fake job opportunities through deception, in addition to using closed groups where criminal activities were discussed," said Harfuch.

Through fake job offers, unsuspecting victims were promised employment as security guards with weekly wages ranging from $200 to $600.

The group commanded by Lastra would then abduct anyone who showed up for the fake job and take them to the Izaguirre Ranch.

The victims were stripped of their belongings and clothing, then dressed in tactical gear. They were isolated during the training period, with cartel members murdering those who failed to comply.

“They even killed people who resisted the training or tried to escape from the site, in addition to beating and torturing them," said Harfuch.

According to the investigation, the Jalisco Cartel operated the ranch as both a mass murder camp and a training center from May 2024 to March 2025.