Mexican Attorney General Seizes Ranch Allegedly Used by Jalisco Cartel As An Extermination Camp

State authorities in Jalisco have officially completed the transfer of the Izaguirre Ranch, used by the state's cartel as an extermination camp, to Mexico's Attorney General's Office. The case has gained national and international attention due to reports recounting the harrowing conditions endured by those who survived.

"At this point, the case is a federal matter now. The site is occupied by federal authorities and forensic experts are investigating the property to determine the reality of what is there," said Mexico's Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero during a press conference on Tuesday.

As Animal Político reported, Mexico's top prosecutor added that forensic experts will begin carrying out a series of tasks to advance the investigation. Gertz Manero also said a specific timeline will be set in the following days to report their findings and make the information public.

But before federal authorities can take over the case, state prosecutors and local law enforcement in Jalisco need to turn over all the evidence found inside the Izaguirre Ranch. Mexico's Attorney General's Office is still waiting for documents, clothes, human remains and other types of evidence to be surrendered to federal officials.

During the press conference, Gertz Manero reiterated to reporters that federal investigators need to wait for the Jalisco prosecutor's office to conclude all forensic processes surrounding the investigation before taking over the case.

When asked by reporters if federal prosecutors would open an investigation against public officials, Gertz Manero said that they are already being investigated without providing further details.

When asked if the entry of journalists and influencers into the ranch would affect the investigation, since it involved entering "a crime scene," Gertz Manero responded that all information that does not hinder the investigation will be made available.

"I will release all information that does not interfere with the integration of the files, I want to make that very clear," Gertz Manero said. "Everything that can be shared to establish with full precision what happened there, who is responsible, and who we are going to prosecute, all that information must be open... as long as this inclusion does not affect the outcome of the investigation, we will make it public," he stated.

Gertz Manero's comments come just one day after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said initial investigations into the case suggest the Izaguirre Ranch was not used by the Jalisco cartel as an extermination center but instead only as a training facility.

"Based on the investigations that we have, it is known that the property was used as a training center, you all saw it," Sheinbaum said. "If there were people who lost their lives there, that is something the Attorney General's Office needs to find out," she added.