The mayor of Teuchitlán, Jalisco, José Ascensión Murguía Santiago, was charged this Sunday with the crime of organized crime with the hypothesis of active collaboration with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The accusation was presented by agents of the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, assigned to the Special Prosecutor's Office for the Investigation of Forced Disappearance Crimes (FEIDDF), before a federal judge at the Penal Justice Center of Puente Grande.
In the initial hearing, which had restricted access for media, it was detailed that Murguía Santiago allegedly provided support to members of a CJNG cell headed by José Gregorio Hermida, alias “El Lastra,” present in various points of the Valles region. It is noteworthy that Hermida was detained on March 23 and indicated by the authorities as the “Commander Lastra” in charge of recruitment operations at the Izaguirre ranch.
According to judicial file 473/2025, the mayor personally met with Hermida on at least two occasions, in April and June 2024, in the vicinity of the Izaguirre ranch. At that location, on July 4, 2024, burnt bodies were found, traces of clandestine graves, tactical equipment with insignia of the criminal group, and evidence of activities related to forced recruitment and disappearance of persons. According to testimonies incorporated into the criminal case, the ranch operated as a paramilitary training center for young recruits through deceit, mainly with false job offers.
The Attorney General's Office asserts that the mayor was aware of these operations and that his intervention was crucial for no preventive actions or security operations to be carried out in the area. He is also attributed with having ordered municipal personnel to intervene in the elimination of human remains and to manage the protection of stolen vehicles used by the cell.
During the hearing, the ministerial representation presented four boxes of evidence that include testimonies from surviving victims, forensic reports, phone tracking, photographs, and call records. Additionally, it was pointed out that the mayor had received monthly payments from the criminal group as compensation for his services. Murguía Santiago reserved his right to declare during the public part of the hearing but confirmed that he understood the allegations.
The federal judge resolved that the rest of the process would be conducted behind closed doors, arguing that there are risks to the integrity of witnesses, victims, and staff involved in ongoing investigations. For now, the mayor will remain in preventive detention while his legal situation is resolved in the coming days. So far, the state's governor, Pablo Lemus, has not disclosed his position regarding the detention of his fellow member of Movimiento Ciudadano and what will happen with the municipal authority.
