A violent drug cartel is compelling new members to consume human flesh and carry out decapitations at its notorious “terror schools.”
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has rapidly expanded throughout Mexico, primarily operating in the western region. Known for its extreme acts of violence to intimidate rivals, the cartel has engaged in various brutal activities, including downing an army helicopter using a rocket-propelled grenade, assassinating numerous state officials, and displaying the bodies of victims on bridges as a scare tactic. CJNG recruits are trained in combat techniques and firearms handling at clandestine camps located in rural areas.
During a three to four-month period, recruits are also indoctrinated into cannibalism. An anonymous source disclosed that new members are taught to sever fingers and toes from victims, a preferred method of torture by the cartel. Recruits are then coerced to choose a body part to consume in front of their superiors, with repercussions for any adverse reactions.
Once loyalty is established, recruits progress to learning how to dismember entire bodies. One individual, using the alias Francisco, recounted being deceived into joining a CJNG training camp in the mountains of Guadalajara under the guise of a security guard job. Witnessing the execution of a fellow member for a minor mistake, Francisco was forced to sever the deceased’s hand and consume a portion of the remains, reflecting on the fear and horror of the experience.
Another survivor of the training camp shared that even the most timid recruit in their cohort was instructed to decapitate a rival and crush their head with a stone. In a particularly gruesome incident, an instructor compelled a recruit to eat regurgitated human flesh after the recruit vomited part of a body.
Recently, disturbing footage emerged of CJNG members extracting the hearts of rival individuals and consuming them as a form of taunting. These brutal tactics not only desensitize new members but also instill fear within local communities, consolidating the cartel’s control over the drug trade.
In a separate incident during the pandemic, three individuals, including a pregnant woman, were found in critical condition with severed hands, attributed to the CJNG accusing them of theft. Their mutilated bodies were discovered in Guanajuato, accompanied by a message warning against criminal behavior.
To conceal evidence, the cartel resorts to dissolving victims in acid baths. In a notable case from 2018, Mexican rapper Christian Palma Gutiérrez confessed to disposing of the bodies of three missing film students by dissolving them in acid. Mistaken for rival gang members, the students were kidnapped, tortured, and ultimately dissolved by Gutiérrez, who received payment from the CJNG.
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