Two former police officers were arrested in Mexico for their alleged involvement with a suspected drug cartel training ground, where human remains, clothing, and shoes were discovered earlier this month. This site, referred to as an “apparent mass killing site” by Human Rights Watch, has shocked a country where violence and disappearances are sadly routine.
According to the Mexican Attorney General’s office, one of the former officers is accused of kidnapping a man who was later held at the Izaguirre Ranch in Teuchitlan, located in the western state of Jalisco. The victim was reportedly detained under the pretext of a search while riding his motorbike, then handed over to a group that took him to the ranch. He was eventually released following an armed confrontation.
Families of missing people, seeking answers for the over 100,000 missing persons in Mexico, found bodies on March 5 at the site, believed to be a location where forced recruits may have been held. The discovery has sparked further investigations into the mass disappearance and killing of individuals tied to cartel violence.
The Guerreros Buscadores collective, a group focused on locating missing individuals, called the site an “extermination center” with “clandestine crematoriums.” The Mexican Attorney General’s office has since taken over the case, and a second former officer has been arrested in connection with the incident.
Both former officers were part of a police force whose chief had already been detained. Attorney General Alejandro Gertz assured that there would be no cover-up in the investigation, stressing that ample evidence would reveal the truth and expose any errors made by the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office during the initial investigation.
This ongoing investigation highlights the persistence of Mexico’s struggle with cartel violence and the need for justice for the tens of thousands of missing individuals.
