Five Mexican college students who vanished after a fair in Lagos de Moreno on August 11 have been identified as the victims in a gruesome video that shocked the nation. The video, which aired on national television, showed the group of friends aged 19 to 22 being brutally murdered.
The young men—Roberto Olmeda, Diego Lara, Uriel Galvan, Dante Cedillo, and Jaime Martinez—were presumed dead after witnesses detailed their kidnapping. Reports by Héctor De Mauleón of El Universal detailed that 10 armed individuals forcibly removed the victims from their vehicle and took them away.
Two of the students might have been enticed to the fair with the prospect of employment as security guards, a scheme seemingly orchestrated by a member of the Jalisco New Generation cartel. This cartel has been linked to fake job listings, luring victims into dire situations.
Security analyst David Saucedo Torres shared insights about the Jalisco Cartel’s operations, suggesting the young victims might have been part of a sinister initiation routine. Shocking footage from the video showed one captive being forced to kill another.
Ultimately, investigators found the remains of four decapitated bodies, along with four skulls, in Jalisco. Another body was found in a burned vehicle nearby.
These incidents and others like them have cast a shadow over Mexico’s current landscape. The U.S. State Department cautions against traveling to several Mexican states, including Jalisco, due to high crime rates and risks of abduction.
Meanwhile, concerns grow in the United States as potential cartel members have been spotted crossing the border. Over 144,000 illegal immigrants were reported entering the country in June alone. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) emphasized the seriousness of the issue, comparing cartels to foreign terrorist organizations, highlighting their involvement in heinous crimes and the loss of American lives.
