Authorities in Jalisco, Mexico, rescued eight people from a property in Tecalitlán that prosecutors say was being used by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) as a clandestine medical facility for injured cartel members. Six people were arrested at the scene on suspicion of holding the victims against their will.
How investigators found the site
The case began after the July 21 disappearance of a 20-year-old man from San Pedro Tlaquepaque, who his family told investigators had been lured away with a false job offer. Working with Mexico’s National Guard and the Secretariat of National Defense, Jalisco prosecutors traced the lead to a property in Tecalitlán, in southern Jalisco, and found the missing man alongside seven other people allegedly being held captive.
“The young man was indeed there, but he wasn’t alone; there were [other] people being held against their will,” Jalisco Prosecutor Salvador González de los Santos said.
What investigators say the property was used for
According to González de los Santos, evidence gathered at the scene — including medications, mobility aids, orthopedic boots and crutches, along with marijuana, tactical clothing and a large quantity of high-caliber ammunition — indicated the farm was being used to treat cartel members injured in clashes or other activity, and to shelter recruits recovering from injuries. Some of the rescued individuals were using crutches; others had undergone surgical procedures involving implanted hardware. Authorities said they are now investigating whether medical personnel from outside the cartel may have been involved in treating the injured or operating the facility.
Who was rescued and who was arrested
The eight people rescued range in age from 16 to 43 and come from Mexico City, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa and Jalisco. All were taken to Guadalajara to begin reuniting with their families, though only the 20-year-old man had been the subject of a formal missing-person report.
The six people arrested — five men and one woman, ages 21 to 48, from Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Michoacán — have been placed at the disposal of judicial authorities. Prosecutors said they intend to pursue human trafficking and forced disappearance charges. Human trafficking charges generally involve allegations of recruiting, transporting or holding a person through force, coercion or deception; forced disappearance charges typically relate to unlawfully depriving someone of their liberty and concealing their whereabouts. As with any criminal case, those arrested are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Prosecutors said the investigation is continuing to identify anyone else who may have been involved in the alleged recruitment scheme or in operating the property.
Sources: Fiscalía del Estado de Jalisco, Al Jazeera, Expansión Política, N+, La Razón.
