Rancho Izaguirre: The Gateway to Hell in Mexico.
Teuchitlan Jalisco.
Education: In 2020, the illiteracy rate in the municipality was 4.27%.
Health: In 2010, 34.2% of the population did not have access to healthcare services, affecting 3,577 people.
Social Security: 61% of the inhabitants lacked access to social security in 2010, impacting 6,380 people.
Food Security: Lack of access to adequate food affected 22.3% of the population, approximately 2,338 people.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has perfected a model of organized crime that goes beyond drug trafficking: it controls the local economy through extortion, infiltration, and targeted violence. Its expansion in Jalisco, Michoacán, and Guanajuato is not just about territorial disputes with other criminal groups but a well-calculated strategy to take financial control of key sectors in each municipality.
The Crime Map.
How CJNG Selects Its VictimsFar from acting randomly, the cartel first identifies the most profitable economic sectors.
To do this, it uses various sources of information:Chamber of Commerce records and government supplier databases.
Lists of business owners obtained from trade associations and unions.
Financial data accessed through corrupt bank employees, hackers, and institutional bribery.
With this information, they can determine which businesses generate the most revenue, who owns them, and how much they could pay in extortion without affecting their profitability.
Extortion with Surgical Precision: The Attack on Business Owners and MerchantsOnce the cartel has identified its next target, the extortion process is methodical:
Direct contact with business owners, presenting them with a “protection fee” based on their income.
Constant surveillance to ensure the victim does not report or seek help.
Targeted attacks: if someone refuses to pay, they face express kidnappings, arson attacks on businesses, or violence against employees.
Organized Crime Inside the Government.
To maintain its control, the CJNG infiltrates local governments and politics. Through allied officials, they secure: Public contracts for cartel-linked front companies.
Impunity for their operations, ensuring no law enforcement action against them.
Control over political candidates, financing election campaigns for those who will later serve their interests.
This system turns municipal governments into accomplices of economic decay.
Who’s Behind This Criminal Machine?CJNG is not just made up of hitmen. Its structure includes:Financial experts and hackers, who track money and identify economic vulnerabilities.Informants within banks and government offices, who leak tax and business data.Hitmen and operational cells, responsible for enforcing violence.
Lawyers and accountants, who launder money and manage front businesses.
Consequences: An Economy in RuinsT
his criminal model destroys local commerce, halts private investment, and forces business owners and workers to flee to other states or even other countries in search of safety.
In key municipalities, CJNG’s extortion has become an unbearable burden for businesses, leading to company closures, unemployment, and social crisis.CJNG’s presence in Jalisco, Michoacán, and Guanajuato is not just a drug trafficking issue but a direct threat to economic stability.
Unless authorities take decisive action, organized crime will continue to devour the productive foundations of these states.
