Grim details of infamous Jalisco cartel's operations revealed during investigation of recruitment ranch in Mexico

The renewed investigation of a ranch in western Mexico, where authorities say the Jalisco New Generation Cartel trained recruits, has revealed some details about how one of the country's most powerful drug cartels operates. Human remains and clothing were recently discovered at the ranch.

The cartel, which the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says has some 19,000 in its ranks, developed rapidly into an extremely violent and capable force after it split from the Sinaloa cartel following the 2010 killing of Sinaloa cartel capo Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel Villarreal by the military.

The Jalisco cartel is led by Nemesio Rubén "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, for whom the U.S. government has offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture. Oseguera drew renewed attention this week after his image was projected as a band played at a music festival in Jalisco over the weekend. Just weeks ago, his wife, Rosalinda Gonzalez, was released from prison in Mexico after receiving a five-year sentence following her arrest in 2021 for the illicit financial operation of an organized criminal group. Her release came on the same day that 29 drug traffickers being held in Mexican prisons were sent to the United States.