On Saturday, May 3, 2025, the Attorney General's Office of the Republic (FGR) arrested José Asunción Murguía Santiago, mayor of Teuchitlán, Jalisco, for his alleged connection to Rancho Izaguirre, identified as a training center for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The site was discovered in March by the collective Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco. Human remains, cremation ovens, clothing, and footwear were found, evidence of a large-scale criminal operation.
Testimonies collected by the FGR directly link the mayor to the activities carried out at the ranch. Jalisco is the state with the most cases in the country, exceeding 15,000 by 2024. The Attorney General's Office continues its investigations, and an official confirmation of the arrest is expected, as well as possible new charges against implicated officials.
Last March, Murguía Santiago denied knowing of the site's existence and downplayed insecurity in the municipality during an interview. The mayor's arrest had not been registered in the National Register of Arrests (RND), raising doubts about the official confirmation.
José Asunción Murguía, a member of Movimiento Ciudadano, has been mayor three times. His first term coincided with the start of operations at the ranch according to satellite images. The administrations of Governor Pablo Lemus and his predecessor Enrique Alfaro have been criticized for omissions regarding the crisis of the missing in the region, putting pressure on Movimiento Ciudadano and its state leadership.
