In Teuchitlán, a municipality in Jalisco, Mexico, a horrifying training camp has been discovered where young people were trained as hitmen by deserters from the Army and ex-military personnel. According to Indira Navarro from Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco, survivors described that if they managed to escape alive from that place, they were sent to the mountains, where they were practically considered dead due to the lack of communication.
This 'extermination camp' borders municipalities like Ahualulco de Mercado, Tequila, Tala, among others, and includes the ceremonial center of the Guachimontones, recognized by UNESCO. Approximately an hour from Guadalajara, this place has been dubbed this way by the searching families due to the large number of human remains found in clandestine ovens and graves.
Collected testimonies indicate that after training, the young people were sent to carry out missions as hitmen in various parts of the country, after being lured with promises of well-paying jobs. The brutality of this training was extreme, where any mistake could cost them their lives.
The Izaguirre ranch in Teuchitlán was discovered by Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco, who checked the site on March 5, 2025, after receiving information from an anonymous survivor. Local authorities had previously investigated the property without finding anything, despite it apparently being operated by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
The Attorney General’s Office has taken over the case to investigate what happened in this training camp. Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum announced that they will review what happened during the search carried out by local authorities in September 2024.
In Teuchitlán, a sordid picture of forced training and recruitment by criminal groups was revealed, where young people were subjected to harsh tests and sent as cannon fodder to other points in the country. The Jalisco Attorney General's Office will continue with the investigations, collaborating with collectives and the local community to clarify these terrible events.
