Five Mexican students were killed by members of a drug cartel after being deceived by a false job offer and subsequently forced to become hitmen.

The students, aged between 19 and 22, were abducted by a group of ten armed men in the town of Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, on August 11. Their vicious umurders were captured on video and circulated on social media, sparking widespread horror and outrage.

The students were identified as Roberto Olmeda Cuellar, Dante Cedillo Hernández, Jaime Adolfo Martinez Miranda, Diego Alberto Lara Santoyo, and Uriel Galván González. They were reportedly lured to a meeting with cartel members under the guise of employment as security guards. However, upon arrival, they were coerced to join the cartel and subjected to a brutal initiation, which included carrying out an assassination.

Authorities discovered a farm containing the charred remains of four bodies and are investigating if they belong to the missing students. A fifth body was located inside the burned-out car of one of the victims.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is suspected of orchestrating the murders. The cartel is believed to operate a network of call centers used for forced recruitment. Unsuspecting individuals are drawn in with counterfeit job offers, only to be forced into service for the cartel.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has faced criticism over these events, with many claiming he hasn’t done enough to counteract cartel violence. 

Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro is urging federal prosecutors to take charge of the case and for the national government to address the escalating threat of organized crime.