Mexican security forces announced this Sunday (22) the death of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho”, during an operation in the municipality of Tapalpa, in the state of Jalisco. According to the Secretariat of National Defense, Mencho was seriously injured while trying to escape security forces and died while being transferred by plane to Mexico City, where he would receive medical care.
“El Mencho” was one of the most wanted drug traffickers in the world. The United States Department of State was offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest. He was also a priority target of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“El Mencho” led the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG) and was responsible for transforming the group into one of the most powerful and violent criminal organizations in Mexico. Founded in 2009 by Mencho and two other criminals, the CJNG quickly expanded its territorial presence and began to operate in the trafficking of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl to the United States, in addition to diversifying revenues through extortion, fuel theft and other illicit activities, according to American authorities. In February last year, US President Donald Trump designated the CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization. The measure placed the cartel in the same category as other organizations classified as a threat to the security of the United States.
Born on July 17, 1966, in Aguililla, in the state of Michoacán, “El Mencho” immigrated illegally to the United States in the 1980s. In 1994, he was convicted of heroin trafficking during a trial in federal court in Northern California. At the time, Mencho served a prison sentence and was later deported by the US to Mexico.
The family of the CJNG leader is also targeted by the authorities. His wife, Rosalinda González Valencia, was already sentenced to prison in Mexico for money laundering, however, she was released in February last year. His son, Rubén Oseguera González, known as “El Menchito”, is currently serving a life sentence in the United States after being extradited in 2020 and convicted in March last year by American justice for participating in a broad international drug trafficking conspiracy. According to US court documents, Menchito oversaw the importation of large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine into the US and was named as one of the first people involved in the expansion of fentanyl trafficking into the American market.
Currently, according to the DEA, the CJNG has a presence in at least 21 of the 32 Mexican states and maintains operations in a large part of the US territory. Under the command of “El Mencho”, the cartel gained international notoriety for carrying out direct and high-impact attacks against Mexican security forces, such as the shooting down of an Army military helicopter in Jalisco, in 2015, and the attack against the then Secretary of Security of Mexico City, Omar García Harfuch, in 2020.
The death of “El Mencho” triggered a wave of violence in different regions of Mexico this Sunday, with reports of vehicle fires and roadblocks. The operation that led to his location was supported by the United States, which reportedly provided intelligence information to the Mexican authorities. The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, reported that 25 members of the National Guard died in Sunday’s clashes. He added that at least 30 cartel members were killed in the operation.
This Monday (23), in a post on Truth Social, President Trump said that “Mexico needs to intensify its efforts against cartels and drugs!” The escalation of violence following Mencho’s death prompted several countries to issue travel warnings for Mexico. The United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France, the United States, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador recommended caution to their citizens.
So far, it has not been defined who will take command of the cartel nor how the organization will react to the loss of its main leader.
