The Jalisco cartel in Mexico is forcing new members into cannibalism, making them eat human flesh.

According to Daily Mail, the notorious Mexican drug cartel has shared a sickening video of one of its new recruits feasting on a rival's heart straight from his mutilated chest.

The cellphone footage, which surfaced in Mexico's Zacatecas state last month, showed the cartel member crouching over the dead body of the rival hitman from the Sinaloa Cartel and tearing large bites from the man's heart before pretending to offer it to the lifeless body to taste.

The dead victim had his arms tied and appeared to have his chest ripped open, The Sun reported. Another member was seen in the background hacking away at a second corpse.

Dr. Robert Bunker, a security analyst and expert on Mexican drug cartels, told The Daily Beast that the violent initiation ceremony was used to frighten members of the Sinaloa Cartel. The Sinaloa Cartel was formerly run by drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera and is now headed by Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

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Cannibalism in Jalisco Cartel's 'Terror School'

Cannibalism became part of the Jalisco cartel initiation around 2015. The cartel forces new recruits to eat raw human hearts of rival members as part of its "terror school."

According to Robert Bunker, the video "has clearly been produced for PSYOPS purposes" by the Jalisco cartel unit involved in the incident, who then uploaded it to social media to scare other El Mayo's gunmen.

It was also reported that the practice was used to root out moles and test the loyalty of new recruits. In 2015, Alfredo Castillo, a federal security commissioner for Mexico's Michoacan state, said the ritual ranged from dismembering individuals they intended to kill to sometimes serving up the heart.

The Jalisco Cartel recruits reportedly undergo extreme combat courses, including learning how to use weapons and set up secret locations in Zacatecas.

After three or four months, they were forced to eat human flesh and taught to sever fingers and toes, a technique for torturing and interrogating rival members.

A former Jalisco Cartel member told the Daily Beast that they were given a choice of one of those pieces to eat in front of the boss. 

The member noted that they must eat it without reacting or vomiting, or they would be beaten. Also, if one does not want to eat human flesh, they would not let the person leave.

Recruits were also forced to sleep next to the dead at night to desensitize them. Anyone who breaks the rules faces being killed.

The Jalisco Cartel in Mexico

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel or Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) is currently the Sinaloa Cartel's main rival. The Jalisco cartel is being led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known by his alias "El Mencho," according to an InsightCrime report.

The Jalisco cartel came out from the Sinaloa Cartel in 2010 after the death of former Sinaloa Cartel capo Ignacio Coronel, known as "Nacho," who was killed by Mexican security forces. Nacho's death resulted in the split into two factions - "La Resistencia" and "Torcidos" - of the Sinaloa Cartel. 

The "Torcidos" became what is now the Jalisco cartel, which has since expanded rapidly in Mexico. The CJNG involves itself in many criminal activities, including international drug trafficking and kidnappings.

According to the U.S. State Department, the Jalisco cartel is considered "to be the most violent drug trafficking organization currently operating in Mexico, with the highest cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine trafficking capacity."

The U.S. government has already offered a $10 million reward for information leading to El Mencho's arrest as he continues to evade capture.

READ MORE: Mexico: 2 Bodies Found Hanging From Bridge, 3 Police Officers Killed as Mexican Drug Cartels Battle for Territory

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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