Violence and Cannibalism: Woman Recruited by the CJNG Recounts the Hell She Experienced at the Izaguirre Ranch

Néctar doesn’t use any other name. She’s known by that name both inside and outside the criminal organization to which she belonged: the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Now, far from the environment that changed her life, she agrees for the first time to tell her full story: the recruitment mechanisms, the extreme training, the payment systems, and the conditions faced by female hitmen, using the Izaguirre ranch as the central focus of her testimony.

In an interview for the podcast “Zona de Guerra” by YouTuber GAFE423, Néctar recounts that she joined the CJNG when she was just 17 years old “for money.” The contact came about through TikTok, where she found an ad offering work for “the four letters” in Guadalajara, with weekly payments of 5,000 pesos, all paid, and promises of benefits above any formal employment.

“It was through TikTok that you get videos, right?… I’m watching and it says that for the four letters Guadalajara, all paid, you’re going to earn so much…”

The first approach was remote: after an exchange via messaging apps, they asked for personal documents, a video thanking a supposed boss, and a commitment to accept any order. Once these requirements were accepted, he received a bus ticket to Guadalajara and instructions to wear only black clothing.

The trip marked the initial skimming: of the recruits summoned, some fled upon realizing the true background, others were intercepted and punished. According to Néctar, authority and control were exercised from the outset, with phones being seized and an atmosphere of constant intimidation created.

Their stay at the Izaguirre ranch

Upon arriving at the Izaguirre ranch, in a rural area of Jalisco, those in charge immediately carried out strict checks. They separated the new arrivals by gender and interrogated them to learn their identity and background.

Upon entering, the first experience was interrogation and a meticulous search. Candidates were asked to strip to verify their gender, even if this meant exposing their vulnerability to strangers. Men and women were searched separately. Women were only searched by other women who had been there for some time.

Women, especially those with short hair or an androgynous appearance, like Néctar, were required to provide additional evidence to confirm they were not infiltrators.

The presence of few women generated constant pressure on their behavior and performance within the group. As Néctar recounted in the podcast, the rules were inflexible, and obedience was the only option. Any sign of doubt or disobedience could mean immediate punishment or even risk one’s life.

The core of the Izaguirre ranch was not just training in military techniques and weapons handling. Daily life combined exercises in cleaning, surveillance, cooking, minimal personal hygiene, and various forms of psychological and physical violence.

The training included extensive sessions of physical exercises that, in many cases, resulted in collective punishments. If a member made a mistake or disobeyed, everyone suffered: from forced resistance routines such as mortar positions, push-ups, or “aguilitas” (little eagles), to deliberate deprivation of bathing and food.

The women, in addition to demonstrating their physical ability, had to deal with strict behavioral monitoring and extra tasks such as cleaning dogs, sweeping, or cleaning religious images. Physical torture and public humiliation were part of daily teaching.

Punishments for disobedience were immediate and exemplary so that others would not incur the same consequences: group beatings, beatings, and forced exercise sessions.

The instructors grouped the candidates into “platoons” based on their performance, leaving those who failed to adapt quickly in the lagging groups. Much of Nectar’s testimony focuses on everyday violence. It recounts episodes of executions in retaliation for mistakes or alleged betrayals, and even describes welcoming rituals that included extreme physical punishment for those admitted with military or police backgrounds.

Among the admission rituals, the “double 08” stands out, where an applicant had to endure blows from a line of men while walking among them; at the end, the commander struck them on the head with his weapon. Anyone who cried was labeled useless.