José Gregorio “El Lastra” confessed to training young people and murdering at least eight people who tried to escape from the Izaguirre ranch, according to Omar García Harfuch, head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Participation.
“According to the detainee’s testimony, they took the lives of eight people who resisted the training or tried to escape, either by beating them or subjecting them to some form of torture,” García Harfuch stated.
The official added: “Upon arrival, the recruits left their belongings behind and were dressed in tactical clothing and boots, and their cell phones were taken away. The training lasted approximately a month, during which time they remained incommunicado.”
According to García Harfuch, José Gregorio was a key collaborator of Gonzalo “N,” alias “El Zapo,” who serves as one of the regional leaders for the CJNG in Jalisco, Nayarit, and Zacatecas.
“El Lastra” began recruiting people from May 2024 until early March of this year and had a group of collaborators dedicated to the recruitment process, primarily through Facebook.
According to authorities, “El Lastra” operated a recruitment system that offered false job opportunities as security guards with salaries between 4,000 and 12,000 pesos per week.
On Saturday, the government announced the arrest of “El Lastra” or “Comandante Lastra,” the leader of a criminal cell linked to the CJNG that operated the Izaguirre ranch, confirming that it was a training camp where people were murdered.
Who is “El Lastra” or “Commander Lastra”?
José Gregorio “N,” alias “El Lastra” or “Commander Lastra,” arrested on March 20, is a leader of the criminal group responsible for recruiting individuals for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The arrest was carried out by personnel from the Mexican Army, the National Guard, and investigative personnel from the Ministry of Security.
“Through the investigation, we were able to identify his criminal structure and main operational leaders; among them, José Gregorio, alias “Lastra,” who is one of the main collaborators of Gonzalo “N,” alias “El Zapo,” one of the regional leaders in Jalisco, Nayarit, and Zacatecas, for the criminal organization,” stated the federal official.
“El Lastra” was in charge of the training center located on the Izaguirre ranch in the municipality of Teuchitlán, Jalisco.
“He is linked to the recruitment of individuals for the criminal organization during the period from May 2024 to early March 2025. It is known that José Gregorio “N” had a group of collaborators dedicated to the recruitment process.”
The characteristics revealed this morning by García Harfuch, according to the testimony, are:
They primarily used social media to offer false job opportunities through deception, in addition to using private groups where criminal activities were mentioned.
Some of these posts featured job openings for the criminal organization and offered positions as security guards with pay ranging from 4,000 to 12,000 pesos per week. Those interested were summoned to various bus stations, from where they were taken to the training center at the Izaguirre ranch.
At the ranch, indoctrination consisted of firearms handling and physical conditioning. Upon arrival, recruits left their belongings and were dressed in tactical clothing and boots. Their cell phones were also confiscated.
During the month-long training, depending on their skills, the recruits were given a position within the organization and assigned to different entities to increase the criminal organization’s strength.
If they were not killed, they were beaten and subjected to some form of torture.
“Intelligence work has revealed that José Gregorio has also been identified as the mastermind behind the abduction of two university students in June 2024. It is also known that on March 10 of this year, he met with Gonzalo “N” in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, where he received orders to end the training activities.”
The detainee went into hiding in the municipality of Tala, Jalisco, and then moved to Mexico City to try to hide.
“Thus, an operation led by the Ministry of National Defense was deployed near kilometer 15 of the Mexico-Toluca highway in the Cuajimalpa municipality, where he was arrested along with Abril “N,” 43, added García Harfuch.
As a result of the Ministry of Security’s monitoring, 39 recruitment pages were taken down on various platforms. This review of the various platforms, as well as the request for their removal, is ongoing.
The federal official stated that from September 2024 to the present, 49 people have been arrested in connection with recruitment activities, which, he indicated, “represents significant progress in clarifying the events that occurred at the Izaguirre ranch in Teuchitlán, Jalisco.”
From the Ministry of Security and the investigation and intelligence departments of the security cabinet, he affirmed, “there is no indication that it was an extermination camp, as they mentioned, but rather a training center.”
Sources: Proceso, Cartel Insider
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