As El Mencho’s death causes mass chaos across Mexico, the CJNG Cartel’s chilling training camps have been exposed, where ordinary men are turned into bloodthirsty killers
Mexico has been plunged into chaos following the death of one the world’s most notorious drug lords.
Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Cervantes, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), died on Sunday after sustaining severe injuries during a shootout with military forces.
As news of his demise spread, his private army of gunmen responded by torching dozens of vehicles and erecting flaming roadblocks to paralyse security forces.
But the true horror of El Mencho’s legacy isn’t just found in the street battles – it is also evidenced within the cartel’s secret training compounds.
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One such site, the Izaguirre Ranch in Teuchitlan, provides a chilling blueprint of how the CJNG transformed ordinary men into bloodthirsty killers.
Located approximately 37 miles from Guadalajara, the facility was stormed by National Guard forces in September 2024.
The raid led to 10 arrests and the rescue of two hostages, though the discovery of a body at the scene hinted at a darker purpose for the compound.
While the initial probe into the compound stalled, the grim reality of the site was only exposed last March.
Desperate families searching for loved ones snatched by the cartels took matters into their own hands and inspected the ranch themselves.
They reported finding hundreds of clothing items and numerous bone fragments.
The discovery sparked a national outcry, with some locals branding the site “Mexico’s Auschwitz” amid fears it served as a mass extermination centre.
By April 2025, Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero officially confirmed the ranch was a CJNG stronghold, though he said there was no evidence that bodies had been incinerated on-site.
Mexico’s security chief, Omar García Harfuch, revealed that the cartel lures people in with online adverts promising “dream wages” of up to $600 a week – nearly six times the average local salary.
He explained that recruits were directed to bus stations, from where they were transported to the ranch for training.
Upon arrival at the camp, recruits were required to surrender their clothing and mobile phones, sever ties with the outside world, and put on uniforms and tactical boots.
Authorities suggest this might account for the amount of abandoned personal belongings found at the ranch.
Mr García Harfuch revealed that recruits underwent a month-long programme of physical conditioning and weapons training before being integrated into the cartel’s ranks.
He said that those who refused to take part or attempted to flee could face brutal beatings, torture, or even execution.
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