What was initially believed to be a camp belonging to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in Vista Hermosa, Michoacán, turned out to be a training center linked to the La Luz del Mundo church and its security force, known as the “Jahzer Guard.”
President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed yesterday, Monday, that authorities are already investigating the property used by the religious group, where 38 men, including a U.S. citizen, were arrested (and later released) over the weekend.
All those arrested identified themselves as members of La Luz del Mundo, whose leader, Naasón Joaquín García, was sentenced to prison in the United States, accused of sexually abusing women, adolescents, and girls who were members of the congregation.
The Michoacán Security Secretariat reported that during an inspection of a facility in the municipality of Vista Hermosa, on the border with Jalisco, they found a group of men and adolescents “conducting tactical training.”
During the operation, a handgun, 19 replica firearms, as well as knives, pocket knives, tactical and communication equipment, and a vehicle were seized.
The 38 detainees were later released after a judge determined that the search of the premises was carried out without a warrant and that “irregularities” were committed in the recording of the detention times of those individuals.
The arrests were made two weeks after Naasón Joaquín García was accused in the United States, along with his mother, of sexually abusing several generations of young followers.
What is the “Jahzer Guard,” La Luz del Mundo’s security force?
A survivor of abuses by the Luz del Mundo, Sharim Guzmán, said in an interview with the newspaper El País that the purpose of this security group is to protect the church leaders and their families.
They are also in charge of guarding their homes, churches, and parishioner neighborhoods, such as Hermosa Provincia in Guadalajara, Jalisco, considered the cultural and political center of the congregation.
Guzmán pointed out that the guards even participate in crimes on the orders of evangelical leaders. For example, in the kidnapping of women, whom they keep in safe houses.
He added that from a young age, they are instilled with military discipline and that Naasón Joaquín himself was part of the “Jahzer Guard” as a child. According to Guzmán, the training is provided by men who previously worked in the Jalisco Prosecutor’s Office and the State Security Secretariat.
In an interview with the Associated Press, security analyst David Saucedo confirmed this version and mentioned that local media reports indicate that La Luz del Mundo is a “paramilitary group, and that its members are trained in self-defense and firearms handling to protect church members and their property.”
The analyst said that, according to investigations that have been ongoing in the United States, members of this armed group have allegedly participated in acts of intimidation, threats, and kidnapping of key witnesses in the case of the religious organization’s leader.
Members of La Luz del Mundo even in the Judiciary
La Luz del Mundo has followers in several states in Mexico and throughout the United States, including California, New York, Nevada, Texas, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, and Washington.
At least two officials, who were elected as judges in Jalisco this summer, have been linked to La Luz del Mundo, according to the local organization Defensorxs.
Source: elfinanciero
