Some Jalisco cartel hitmen in Mexico had shown their faces in public as a way of showing they are confident that security forces are powerless to stop them as they continue to engage in criminal activities.

Several gunmen without masks and wearing bulletproof vests with Jalisco New Generation Cartel initials or CJNG could be seen in some photos released by the photo agency, Cuartoscuro.

Mexico News Daily reported that some heavily armed hitmen of the Jalisco cartel stared directly at the camera. The photographer asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation.

The photos were taken during a military-style march last week in Aguililla, Michoacan and the images display the immense firepower of the Jalisco cartel. 

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is known for its public relations campaigns aside from its aggressive use of violence. The group is posting photos and videos on social media. However, its members are usually seen wearing face coverings.

Aguililla, from which Jalisco leader Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes hails, is a violence-plagued municipality in the Tierra Caliente region. It has become a battleground for the CJNG, which has been fighting the Carteles Unidos over control of the territory. 

Some reports noted that the CJNG had already gained control of Aguililla earlier this year. However, violence has continued to persist in the municipality, leading many residents to flee.

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The Jalisco Cartel Hitmen

Insight Crime reported that to be a sicario or hitman for the Jalisco cartel, one must learn that escaping from the camp was to leave "in a body bag."

In three months, potential sicarios would be taught how to handle short and long weapons, ambush enemies, respect the rules, and learn how to kill.

One hitman, who was only named Francisco to protect his identity, earlier told Telemundo that he saw how "they kill people, taste human flesh, you live in terror."

Francisco, who spent three months inside a CJNG camp, said he had to endure physical and psychological resistance tests and loyalty tests.

He said his connection with the Jalisco cartel started in April 2018, when a stranger approached him and told him that he had run out of money and needed a ride.

Francisco took the man to his car and took him to an ATM area. The man had asked for his cell phone number and said that he was going to call him. He only knew the stranger's identity later on. The stranger was one of the children of Jalisco cartel leader, El Mencho.

The cartel member had called him and offered him a job as a private security guard in Villahermosa, with a payment worth around $180, on top of daily allowance and expenses.

When he arrived at the destination, one of the men in charge told them that they would not be a security guard, but they will be working for the Jalisco cartel.

Francisco said one of the men protested, and the man in charge said the only way to get out of there was in a body bag. At the time, Francisco noted that he decided to stay as he thought about his son.

Jalisco New Generation Cartel is Getting More Violent

Last April, the CJNG had launched an attack on police enforcement using explosive drones. Three officers have been injured in the incident.

The officers were clearing the roads leading to Aguililla as the cartel has blocked it so law enforcement could not enter the area, BBC News reported. Hundreds have been fleeing the city in fear.

According to The Guardian, the Jalisco cartel gunmen were also responsible for attempting to assassinate Mexico City's secretary of security, Omar Garcia Harfuch, last year. 

At least three people have been killed after the assassins masked themselves as road workers. Harfuch was driving to work when gunmen ambushed him.

READ MORE: Jalisco Cartel Boss El Mencho's Daughter, La Negra, Asks U.S. Judge to Free Her

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

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