José Ascensión ‘Chon’ Murguía Santiago, the municipal president of Teuchitlán, Jalisco, was arrested on Saturday, May 3, for his alleged involvement in the crimes at Rancho Izaguirre. Murguía Santiago, a member of the Citizen Movement party, is the first official arrested as part of the investigations related to this case.
José Murguía Santiago has been the mayor of Teuchitlán since 2021, the year in which it is believed that Rancho Izaguirre operated as a training center for CJNG. The Attorney General of the Republic, Alejandro Gertz Manero, revealed these details. The mayor was reelected in 2024 and is linked to the criminal group led by 'El Mencho', Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, who is identified as the operator of the ranch.
In an interview with Channel 13 in Guadalajara, Murguía Santiago denied having criminal links and expressed his confidence in the investigations by the Attorney General's Office. Furthermore, he has had health issues, such as in November 2023 when he had complications with his spine and received a visit from the current governor, Pablo Lemús, who was then the mayor of Zapopan.
The mothers of the Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco were authorized by the FGR to re-enter the property of Rancho Izaguirre on Friday, May 2. This place is believed to have been a training camp for CJNG and possibly a clandestine crematorium, although this last accusation was denied by the authorities.
In April, the prosecutor's office detained 15 individuals allegedly related to the ranch, including municipal police and José Gregorio, 'El Lastra', who is believed to have been responsible for recruitment at the camp. According to the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, 'El Lastra' selected young people and took them deceitfully to Rancho Izaguirre from May 2024 to early March 2025.
