The Izaguirre ranch was used as an alleged criminal training camp and was raided twice by authorities. First, National Guard personnel carried out an operation at the site in September 2024, arresting ten men with firearms and freeing two people.
His Capture
It was Saturday afternoon when the tranquility of the municipality was disrupted. Men in official uniforms aboard two white pickup trucks intercepted Mayor José Ascención Murguia Santiago just a few meters from his home.
They forced him into one of the vehicles, and the hooded men took him away. They took his house and car keys and threw them on the ground, according to municipal officials.
Afterward, his family and other municipal officials experienced tense moments. They didn’t know who was behind the scenes, the Jalisco government didn’t know what was happening, and the Attorney General’s Office in Jalisco denied any involvement in the police operation.
The National Registry of Arrests confirmed his capture at approximately 9:42 p.m. (Central Time) and his transfer to the penitentiary. It was stated that he was wearing a maroon T-shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. It was also reported that he has a lion tattoo on his right arm.
He is charged with serious crimes.
He spent part of the night at the facilities of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Investigation of Organized Crime (FEMDO) and was later sent to the Puente Grande Preventive Prison.
The arraignment hearing at the Federal Criminal Justice Center of the State of Jalisco, located in Puente Grande, was scheduled for 9:00 a.m., but José Ascención didn’t appear until 44 minutes later.
It was announced there that the Special Prosecutor’s Office for the Investigation of Enforced Disappearances of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) intends to charge him with organized crime. A public defender accompanied him during the first part of the hearing and, when given the floor, he claimed he didn’t have a trusted attorney. He reappeared at 12:13 p.m., represented by a new private attorney, who in turn requested a recess to speak with his client.
The hearing resumed at 1:10 p.m., with a request that it be closed, forcing the media and the general public to leave, arguing that it was to protect the identity of victims and witnesses.
He is linked to CJNG leaders
The indictment includes testimony confirming meetings with members of the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel between April and June 2024, with figures such as José Gregorio “N,” alias “El Lastra,” who is imprisoned in the Altiplano prison, and Gonzalo Mendoza Gaitán, alias “El Sapo” and/or “El 90.”
José Ascención has governed Teuchitlán for six years and was headed for another three. He served his first term as a member of the PRD from 2012 to 2015 and for the Movimiento Ciudadano party from 2021 to 2024. He was recently reelected by the same party for the 2024-2027 term.
According to the indictment, he met with “El Lastra” between September and October 2024, when his first term as a member of Movimiento Ciudadano was ending and his second term was beginning. In a gap between San Marcos and Etzatlán, to agree on a monthly income of 70,000 pesos in exchange for allowing the criminal organization to operate in the area. According to the person involved, they arrived at the meeting “connected” through calls made from the phones of the so-called “cacahuatitos,” which they later destroyed to avoid leaving evidence.
Another testimony suggests that between 15 and 20 days before September 18, the date of the seizure of the Izaguirre ranch, the mayor and José Gregorio woke him up to dig a pit, using a backhoe to deposit organs and skeletal remains. Therefore, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, who read the document, confirmed that José Ascención was fully aware of what was happening, as it was even claimed that he uttered the phrase, “These dogs won’t live to tell the tale.” José Ascención, present at the hearing, made a gesture of disbelief at the statements of the person testifying against him.
It is emphasized that among the agreements were that members of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel would operate the ranch and be able to circulate around Teuchitlán armed and in stolen vehicles without being disturbed. In addition, they were also “providing human capital,” that is, allowing municipal police officers to conduct surveillance of the Izaguirre ranch to prevent the recruits from escaping.
The same indictment mentions that the Izaguirre ranch was subjected to extreme physical violence against victims recruited through false job offers. Activities included training, human trafficking, and forced killing and eating of human flesh. Meanwhile, the La Vega ranch was also used for training and drug production.
The mayor was invited by the Control Judge to respond to the accusation, but he decided to abstain. His lawyers announced that they will present evidence in subsequent hearings, requesting an extension of the 144-hour constitutional deadline for the final hearing to be held. The deadline expires next Saturday at 6:21 p.m.
At the end of the hearing, the group of Public Prosecutors removed the investigation file, which was stored in four enormous plastic containers, which contained the entire bed of a recent Silverado pickup truck.
Jalisco Government and Municipality Request
The Jalisco Government and the Citizen Movement party, which was the most recent party to champion the case, made their position clear in separate statements regarding the arrest and arraignment of José Ascensión Murguía before a federal judge.
For its part, the State Executive expressed its confidence that the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) will conduct the investigations impartially and without political bias.
For its part, the State Government will be attentive to the development of the judicial process and will collaborate in all necessary ways so that, regardless of the case, the truth is discovered and justice is served.
Meanwhile, the Citizen Movement party spoke out and demanded an investigation free of partisan bias.
“Federal authorities are obligated to verify their accusations and clear up all doubts in this and all cases. We trust that the mayor of Teuchitlán will demonstrate that he always acted within the law. The citizens elected him as their representative and then reaffirmed their trust in him to govern for a second term: this support speaks to the results of his administration,” the document states.
It concludes by stating that “In Citizen Movement, we demand that the authorities conduct a fair, comprehensive investigation free of political bias or partisan motivations. We firmly defend the presumption of innocence and the right of all people to a fair trial. Without truth, there will never be justice.”
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