Mexican mayor arrested over alleged links to cartel training camp
Prosecutors in Mexico have arrested the mayor of Teuchitlán in western Jalisco state as part of their investigation into a nearby cartel training site.
The mayor, José Murguía Santiago, is suspected of colluding with the New Generation Jalisco Cartel (CJNG), which he has denied.
The investigation was launched after activists discovered bone fragments and hundreds of discarded shoes, backpacks and items of clothing at the Izaguirre ranch outside the town in March.
Rights groups said that they feared the ranch had been used as an "extermination camp", where people were forcedly recruited and trained, and those who refused were tortured and killed.
The discovery by people searching for their missing relatives of what appeared to be evidence of mass killings at the site shocked the country, where cartel violence is rife.
Read: Ovens and bone fragments - BBC visits Mexican cartel 'extermination' site
Mexico's Attorney-General Alejandro Gertz gave a news conference last week updating journalists on the federal investigation into the ranch.
He confirmed that the site had been used as a training centre for recruits of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the most feared and powerful transnational drug trafficking gangs, which has its power base in Jalisco.
However, he said that there was no evidence that it had been used as an extermination and cremation site.
According to the attorney-general, bone fragments discovered there were not recent and forensic tests suggested that the fires lit at the ranch would not have been hot enough to dispose of human remains.
Gertz's statements caused anger among "searchers", the name given to relatives looking for the more than 120,000 people who have been reported missing in Mexico over the past two decades.
They said that his news conference raised more questions than it answered and failed to address to whom the many abandoned shoes found at the ranch belonged and what had become of those people.
Gertz insisted that the authorities would continue looking into whether there had been any collusion between the CJNG and local officials.
The arrest of Mayor Murguía Santiago is part of that ongoing investigation.
Prior to his arrest, the mayor had said that he had nothing to hide. "If they want to investigate me, let them, I'm clean and willing to say what I know," he told local media.
But prosecutors allege that he knew of the existence of the training centre and did not act on that knowledge.
Disappearances double in Sinaloa amid Mexican cartel rift
Extortion and kidnap - a deadly journey across Mexico
The Searchers: Mexican women who look for the dead
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Unlawful assembly declared in downtown LA as protests escalate
Protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles escalated on Sunday as US President Donald Trump called to "bring in the troops". Rising unrest saw a major freeway blocked and a row of self-driving cars set on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd. Police called downtown LA an "unlawful assembly" area at 23:15 local time on Sunday (07:15 BST on Monday) after three days of protests and dozens of arrests. Demonstrations began outside the Federal Building, in downtown LA, on Friday after it emerged Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were carrying out raids across the city. California Governor Gavin Newsom, along with the LA mayor Karen Bass, said in separate comments on Saturday that they believed local police could handle the protests. But on Saturday night, after two days of clashes between demonstrators and immigration authorities, Trump went against Newsom's wishes and ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard. On Sunday morning, the first group of troops began arriving in the city, staging outside a detention centre where illegal immigrants are taken once detained. Newsom called Trump's decision to deploy soldiers "illegal" and "immoral" and threatened to sue the administration. "Donald Trump has created the conditions you see on your TV tonight... he's putting fuel on this fire," he said in an interview with MSNBC on Sunday evening as tensions flared. "[It's] an unconstitutional act, and we're going to test that theory with a lawsuit tomorrow," Newsom added. Typically, a state's National Guard force is activated at the request of the governor. In this case, Trump has circumvented that step by invoking a specific provision of the US Code of Armed Services titled 10 U.S.C. 12406, which lists three circumstances under which the president can "federalise" the National Guard. Pockets of the city were thrown into chaos on Sunday night, with repeated bangs heard as police faced off with protesters. Many of those involved were carrying Mexican flags or signs deriding federal immigration authorities, who arrested 118 unauthorised immigrants across LA on Friday - according to CBS, which cited information from ICE. Follow live coverage of the protests Everything we know about what's happened in LA How LA erupted over rumours of immigration raid at a hardware store British photographer injured by 'plastic bullet' in LA protests Trump's intervention in LA is a political fight he is eager to have A row of self-driving Waymo vehicles - that serve as taxis in LA - had their tyres slashed, windows smashed and exteriors spray painted before they were torched by protesters. Multiple patrol vehicles blocking a highway were damaged when protesters hurled objects - including E-scooters - at them. Fires were started across the city as protesters lit large fireworks. Several businesses reported looting late in the night, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said. Many downtown streets were littered with debris, glass, cinder blocks and burn marks. Buildings were covered in new graffiti, much of which contained graphic language against immigration enforcement. In one particularly chaotic scene, a van driving erratically veered into a large group of protesters and appeared to hit several people. The driver, who was shirtless, was later arrested and police said he would face multiple charges. The same day, an Australian news reporter was filmed being struck by what appeared to be a rubber bullet fired by law enforcement. And a British photographer underwent emergency surgery after being struck in the leg by another non-lethal bullet. The BBC has asked the LAPD for comment. Police said they made 27 arrests, on top of the 29 on Saturday. Separately, at least 60 people were taken in at related protests in San Francisco. On his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump called for an end to the protests. In one post, he wrote: "Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!" It is unclear which troops Trump was referring to as National Guard soldiers have already arrived, following his instruction. On Saturday evening, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to activate the US Marine Corps if protests persisted. He posted on X: "Under President Trump, violence & destruction against federal agents & federal facilities will NOT be tolerated. It's COMMON SENSE. The @DeptofDefense is mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles. And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized - they are on high alert." Jose Barrera, the national vice president of the League of United Latin American citizens (LULAC), told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the White House wanted "to create civic unrest" in LA. Barrera said there was "no need" for Trump to deploy the National Guard when there are 17,000 police personnel in the city. He says deploying the troops "increases tensions" and confrontation, which set a "dangerous precedent". In a statement, the White House said that Trump "rightfully stepped in to restore law and order because of Gavin Newsom's feckless leadership and his refusal to stop the violent attacks on American law enforcement".
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. protests bring scattered violence, arrests, steely resolve from federal authorities
Feds vow to continue immigration enforcement 'every day in L.A.' Here are your rights People gather in front of Ambiance Apparel after several employees were taken into custody As the number of immigration raids has increased across Southern California over the last week, there are more questions than ever about how to handle an interaction with federal agents. Agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement made arrests in the garment district, specifically at Ambiance Apparel, where immigration authorities detained employees inside the clothing wholesaler, and other locations on Friday. Protests followed into the weekend, prompting the deployment of National Guard troops in downtown Los Angeles by the Trump administration. The legal issues raised by Trump sending the National Guard to L.A. A car burns at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Alondra Boulevard during a protest in Compton on Saturday. The Trump administration announced Saturday that National Guard troops were being sent to Los Angeles — an action Gov. Gavin Newsom said he opposed. President Trump is activating the Guard by using powers that have been invoked only rarely. Trump said in a memo to the Defense and Homeland Security departments that he was calling the National Guard into federal service under a provision called Title 10 to 'temporarily protect ICE and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions.' What really happened outside the Paramount Home Depot? The reality on the ground vs. the rhetoric A protester holds the Mexican flag during a protest. It began as another Saturday morning at the Home Depot in Paramount, a working class, predominantly Latino suburb south of downtown Los Angeles. Typically, the store that is nestled along the Los Angeles River bed would be filled with weekend warriors tackling home improvements, workers collecting supplies and immigrants in search of work.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
4 cartel suspects killed days after 5 officers murdered in ambush
Police in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas and federal forces killed four suspected criminals on Sunday during a chase in an area bordering Guatemala, the local government said. The incident unfolded just days after five police officers were killed in an ambush by an armed group in the same area. A statement from the local Security Secretariat said the events occurred in the municipality of Frontera Comalapa after security forces were attacked while on a routine patrol. "Authorities repelled the fire... and managed to kill four suspected members of organized crime," the statement said. Local media reported that the security forces may have entered Guatemalan territory during the pursuit. Guatemalan Vice President Karin Herrera wrote on social media that "the border is under control" and that the army and police maintain "an active presence in the area to guarantee the protection and security of the population." The Chiapas Security Secretariat insisted that the operation took place within Mexico. A source from the agency, who asked not to be identified, told AFP the dead were members of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The Chiapas Security Secretariat said it seized four trucks, three AK-47 long guns and other weapons after the incident. The agency released images of trucks at the scene and some appeared to be riddled with bullet holes. In recent months, Chiapas has been shaken by a bloody turf war between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation cartel — the country's two most powerful criminal organizations. Last week, five Chiapas state police officers patrolling the area were killed after they were ambushed by an armed group in Frontera Comalapa, according to the local Security Secretariat. Authorities shared an image of the slain officers' charred patrol vehicle after it was completely engulfed in flames on a roadway. Later, the agency announced on social media they had arrested a man in connection to the murders. Criminal violence, most of it linked to drug trafficking, has claimed around 480,000 lives in Mexico since 2006 and left more than 120,000 people missing. Kristi Noem says "we are not going to let a repeat of 2020 happen" amid L.A. crackdown Magic in the dark: The fantastical worlds of Lightwire Theater Carlos Alcaraz beats Jannik Sinner in epic comeback to win French Open
