The Jalisco New Generation Cartel was found to have run an extermination camp in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, complete with covert cremation ovens and human remains. At least 200 people may have been killed at the location found by a civilian search team, according to authorities. Critiques of the Mexican government’s “hugs, not bullets” strategy against cartel violence have increased in light of the discovery. In addition to evidence of forced recruitment and training operations, the site included personal belongings.
Grim Discovery Reveals Cartel Brutality
The Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco, a civilian collective searching for missing persons, made a horrifying discovery on March 5 after receiving an anonymous tip about human remains at Rancho Izaguirre in Teuchitlán, Jalisco. What they found has sent shockwaves throughout Mexico: an extermination camp allegedly operated by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the country’s most violent criminal organizations.
The site contained clandestine cremation ovens, charred human remains, and hundreds of personal belongings from victims.
The magnitude of the atrocity is staggering, with authorities estimating that at least 200 people may have been murdered at the location. Among the personal effects discovered was a letter from Eduardo Lerma Nito, a missing person, providing a heartbreaking human connection to the anonymous remains. The site appears to have functioned not only as an execution ground but also as a location for forced recruitment and cartel training operations.
The "Guerreros Buscadores" collective [civilians who try to locate and identify the bodies of missing persons] located clandestine crematoriums on a ranch in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
A ranch of horror: A CJNG [Jalisco New Generation Cartel] extermination center found was in… pic.twitter.com/u19jg7lJqW
— US Ship of State (@US_ShipOfState) March 8, 2025
Government Failures Under Scrutiny
Perhaps most disturbing is the revelation that the National Guard had previously intervened at Rancho Izaguirre in September 2024 but failed to conduct a thorough inspection that would have revealed the crematoriums and mass graves. This oversight has fueled intense criticism of both local and federal authorities, particularly the Jalisco Prosecutor’s Office, which now faces widespread distrust despite promises to continue investigations. The failure to detect such a large-scale operation has raised serious questions about government competence and willingness to confront cartel violence.
The discovery comes amid growing frustration with President López Obrador’s controversial “hugs, not bullets” security policy, which has emphasized addressing root social causes of crime over direct confrontation with cartels. Critics argue this approach has allowed criminal organizations like the CJNG to expand their territories and operate with increasing boldness. The ranch’s location in Jalisco State, the CJNG’s stronghold, underscores the cartel’s continued dominance despite government claims of improved security.
And libs wonder why we make *a fuss" about illegals coming in. The cartel trash insulate themselves in the mass entries. https://t.co/Z3JWdROa3Y
— Amen Oneill (@oneil_alen) March 12, 2025
Calls for Decisive Action
Demands for significant government action against organized crime have increased as a result of the discovery. Experts in security cite this case as proof that Mexico requires a comprehensive approach that blends social programs with efficient legal and law enforcement measures. There are serious weaknesses in Mexico’s security infrastructure, and the apparent ease with which the CJNG ran this extermination facility raises questions about possible collusion between local authorities and criminal organizations.
Families of Mexico’s estimated 110,000 missing persons view the Teuchitlan discovery as both a nightmare and confirmation of their fears regarding their loved ones’ whereabouts. The Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco collective, like many similar groups across Mexico, formed because of government inaction in searching for the missing. The disappearance crisis in Mexico and the role of non-governmental organizations in tackling an issue that the government has not sufficiently addressed have gained more attention since their discovery.
International Implications
With immigration and drug trafficking taking center stage in bilateral talks, the discovery of such a massive cartel execution site comes at a delicate moment for U.S.-Mexico relations. Officials from the United States have been more and more irritated with what they see as Mexico’s lax handling of cartel activity. The Teuchitlán finding might put more pressure on Mexican authorities to take more forceful action against organizations like the CJNG, which terrorize Mexican citizens and control a sizable portion of the drug trade that affects the United States.
The Rancho Izaguirre case serves as a sobering reminder of the severe violence that has become commonplace in some areas of Mexico and the pressing need for an efficient government response as investigations proceed. In a nation where violent crimes are still routinely committed without consequence, justice is still a mystery to the hundreds of families whose loved ones may have perished here.