A brutal drug cartel is compelling new members to engage in cannibalism and carry out decapitations in its notorious “terror training camps.”
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has rapidly expanded its presence in Mexico, particularly in the western regions of the country. Known for its extreme violence, the cartel has targeted state officials, downed an army helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade, and displayed the bodies of its victims on bridges to intimidate rivals. Training camps operated by CJNG, usually located in remote rural areas, teach recruits combat tactics and firearms skills while instilling a culture of cruelty.
Recruits undergo a gruesome transformation over three to four months, evolving into cannibals as part of their indoctrination. An anonymous source revealed that new members are instructed to sever the fingers and toes of victims, a preferred method of torture by the cartel. Recruits are then coerced to consume a part of the dismembered bodies as a loyalty test, under threat of punishment if they refuse.
Once loyalty is proven, recruits advance to learning how to dismember entire bodies. One individual, identified as Francisco, shared his harrowing experience of being coerced into cannibalism at a training camp in Guadalajara after being lured there under false pretenses. Francisco recounted being forced to amputate a man’s hand and consume part of the corpse, highlighting the intense fear and brutality he faced.
Reports from survivors of these camps detail instances where recruits were compelled to execute rivals, with even the most reluctant members being forced to carry out barbaric acts such as decapitation and cannibalism. CJNG members have been captured on video extracting and consuming the hearts of rival gang members as a display of dominance and fear-mongering tactics.
In a disturbing incident during the pandemic, three individuals, including a pregnant woman, were found mutilated and left in critical condition by CJNG, accusing them of theft. The victims’ hands were missing, and their bodies were discovered in a truck in Guanajuato with a chilling message warning against thievery.
To eliminate evidence, the cartel has resorted to dissolving victims’ bodies in acid baths, as seen in a case where a Mexican rapper confessed to disposing of three missing film students on CJNG’s orders. The rapper dissolved the bodies in acid after the cartel mistakenly identified the students as members of a rival gang, leading to their abduction and torture.
The CJNG employs these brutal tactics not only to desensitize new members but also to instill fear within local communities and solidify its control over the drug trade.
