Mexican authorities rescue eight from violent cartel’s secret site

Rescue operation in Jalisco uncovers cartel’s hidden clinic, illegal drugs and weapons; six suspected guards arrested.Mexican law enforcement has said it rescued eight people who had been forcibly recruited by the Jalisco-new-generation-cartel" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="15215" data-entity-type="organization">Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the country’s most powerful and violent drug trafficking organisations.The eight people were found at a clandestine clinic on a farm in the municipality of Tecalitlan, in the western state of Jalisco, roughly 160 kilometres (100 miles) from Guadalajara, the AFP news agency reported.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Mexican drug lord Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada sentenced to life in US prisonlist 2 of 3US announces more than $100m in rewards for eight Jalisco cartel leaderslist 3 of 3Mexican influencer shot dead during livestreamend of listImages released by state prosecutors showed dimly lit rooms with mattresses on the floor and heavily stained walls. One photo showed a cap bearing an image of Jesus Malverde, a folk figure widely revered by drug traffickers as an unofficial patron saint.Jalisco state prosecutor Salvador Gonzalez said the property “operated as a place to shelter people recruited by organised crime who, for one reason or another, ended up injured in connection with the activities they were made to carry out and needed to recover”.He added the victims “had been deprived of their freedom”. Two of those rescued were on crutches. Authorities said they also seized illegal drugs and narcotics, as well as weapons and ammunition. Six suspected guards, aged 21 to 48, were also arrested.Investigators found the site while searching for a 20-year-old man who had gone missing in late July after leaving his home in Tlaquepaque, near Guadalajara, in a taxi to answer what he believed was a job offer at a farm.The case echoes the 2025 discovery of a suspected CJNG training camp at a ranch in Teuchitlan, also in Jalisco, where a civilian search collective found clothing, luggage and human remains, leading to more than 40 arrests.