In a chilling case of mistaken identity that shocked Mexico, three film students were brutally tortured and murdered by one of the country's most violent cartels before their bodies were dissolved in acid.
The Fatal Misunderstanding
Javier Salomón Aceves Gastélum, Jesús Daniel Díaz and Marco Ávalos, all in their early twenties, were creating a short film for a university project in Jalisco, western Mexico, when tragedy struck. Their vehicle broke down during their journey home, prompting them to exit the car to investigate the mechanical issue.
Suddenly, two trucks filled with armed members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) disguised as police officers surrounded the young men. The cartel members had mistakenly identified the students as belonging to a rival gang.
The misunderstanding was compounded by the location where the students had been filming earlier. They had unknowingly chosen a ranch that CJNG members were surveilling while waiting for a leader from a competing criminal organisation to appear.
Brutal Interrogation and Murder
The terrified students were forcibly taken to a property in Tonala in 2018, where they faced unimaginable horrors. Javier endured particularly brutal interrogation methods before being beaten to death by his captors.
Following Javier's murder, the cartel made the decision to eliminate his two companions as well, ensuring there would be no witnesses to their catastrophic error. To completely erase evidence of their crimes, the CJNG enlisted one of their recruits to dispose of the bodies using acid.
The Cartel's Recruitment and Culture
Christian Palma Gutiérrez, a Mexican rapper known professionally as QBA, was tasked with dissolving the victims' remains. The YouTube personality with over 315,000 subscribers received 3,000 pesos (approximately £115) weekly from the CJNG after being recruited by a friend.
Gutiérrez's musical content often glorified violence, with songs bearing titles like "Death Has No Schedule" and videos featuring imagery of bound, bloodied men. His recruitment highlights the cartel's strategy of leveraging local influencers.
In 2014, five men connected to the CJNG received 75-year prison sentences for their roles in the aggravated kidnapping and murder of the three students.
CJNG's Reign of Terror
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel has rapidly expanded throughout Mexico in recent years, establishing itself as one of the country's most formidable and brutal criminal organisations. Operating primarily in western regions, the cartel employs extreme violence to intimidate rivals and maintain control.
Their notorious tactics include using rocket-propelled grenades to down military helicopters, assassinating hundreds of government officials, and publicly displaying victims' bodies on bridges as warnings to opponents.
Perhaps most disturbingly, the cartel operates so-called "terror schools" where new recruits are forced to participate in cannibalism and beheadings. An anonymous source revealed to DailyBeast.com that recruits must consume human flesh without showing reaction or face severe beating, with no option to leave once initiated.
The cartel systematically teaches members torture techniques, beginning with instruction on removing victims' fingers and toes, establishing a culture of absolute brutality that continues to plague Mexico.
