Liliana Elizabeth Arceo García, 23, alias “La China,” was charged with human trafficking—specifically involving forced labor—before a judge in Zacatecas. This followed an investigation by the State Attorney General’s Office revealing that the young woman—who had been reported missing on August 19—allegedly operated as a recruiter for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in the northern region of the state.
Two of the seven people found with her in the community of El Durazno, in the municipality of Jerez, directly accused her of using threats to force them to act as lookouts (*halcones*), engage in street-level drug dealing, and recruit other young people for the criminal group.
According to the investigation, the case involving “La China” points to an interstate recruitment network connecting Jalisco, Zacatecas, Sinaloa, and Michoacán.
The case began on August 19, when Liliana, Cassandra Isabel Mena García, and Cassandra’s one-month-old baby boarded a ride-hailing vehicle in Tlaltenango de Sánchez Román, heading to the Civil Registry office in Guadalupe. The driver was Flavio César Mayorga González. Contact with all of them was lost that same day.
