'el Mencho': From California Drug Dealer To Cartel Kingpin - Beritaja

Long earlier he had a $15-million bounty connected his caput arsenic the leader of Mexico’s ruthless Jalisco New Generation cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes was a scruffy-haired kid trying to eke retired a surviving connected the streets of San Francisco.

He crossed the separator illegally sometime earlier he turned 20, making the migrant’s travel northbound from the avocado and lime orchards that situation his family’s mini municipality successful the authorities of Michoacán. He was picked up first connected meth charges connected May 14, 1986, according to news reports and a San Francisco constabulary booking photo, which shows him successful a bluish hoodie scowling into the camera. He was arrested doubly more, yet for trading $9,500 worthy of heroin to 2 undercover officers astatine a barroom successful 1992.

He went to prison, sewage deported and, contempt his record, became a section constabulary serviceman backmost home.

So began the criminal profession of 1 of the about infamous figures successful the world of world supplier trafficking. It ended successful spectacular and convulsive manner Sunday, pinch Mexican authorities announcing that the kingpin nicknamed “El Mencho” had been killed successful a shootout pinch authorities forces successful Jalisco, the authorities his group, known arsenic the CJNG, has agelong dominated.

The sidesplitting unleashed shock waves of violence crossed the swaths of Mexico wherever the CJNG holds sway. Flights into immoderate Jalisco airports were grounded and cartel gunmen blockaded highways by mounting occurrence to vehicles successful 20 states, according to Mexican authorities. The country’s apical information charismatic said 25 members of the National Guard were killed Sunday successful reprisal attacks. President Claudia Sheinbaum called connected the nationalist to stay calm and maintained that about territory successful the state was successful a authorities of “complete normality.”

The discord betwixt the president’s remarks and the images circulating connected societal media of torched cars billowing acheronian plumes of fume — on pinch swirling rumors complete the grade of U.S. engagement successful the cognition — has added a murky coda to Oseguera’s convulsive and tumultuous life. He roseate from small-time California supplier peddler to the caput of an organized crime group pinch tentacles that agelong about the globe, an ascension that tracks pinch the broader improvement of Mexico’s cartels.

Oseguera, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, is shown pinch his boy Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, known arsenic El Menchito, successful an grounds photograph utilized by national prosecutors.

(U.S. District Court)

Once almost solely dedicated to moving illicit substances to meet the request of American consumers, the groups person diversified their business to see quality smuggling, extortion, substance theft and even, according to recent U.S. Treasury Department filings against the CJNG, a timeshare fraud strategy that targeted visitors successful Puerto Vallarta.

The narco-blockades that person upended life successful parts of Mexico since Sunday besides bespeak the CJNG’s fearsome powerfulness arsenic a paramilitary organization. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration estimated successful 2023 that the cartel employs about 20,000 “members, associates, facilitators and brokers” successful various countries. Cells successful Mexico are equipped to the teeth pinch military-grade weaponry, including drones that driblet explosives, improvised onshore mines and .50-caliber rifles that occurrence carrot-sized armor-piercing bullets. The Trump management designated the CJNG arsenic a violent group past year, escalating the unit that U.S. officials person agelong exerted connected Mexican authorities to dismantle the group and return retired its founder.

Although experts said his decease was a awesome rustle to the CJNG, they besides cautioned that Oseguera’s creation has metastasized beyond the constituent wherever decapitating the superior caput will origin the hydra-like infrastructure to collapse.

Paul Craine, the erstwhile caput of the DEA successful Mexico, said Oseguera pioneered a benignant of franchise system, wherever section criminal groups are co-opted and allowed to alert the CJNG banner — arsenic agelong arsenic they salary tribute.

With various factions controlled by cardinal lieutenants, immoderate of them adjacent relatives, Oseguera’s moniker has been invoked to instill panic and support subordinates successful line, Craine said. The group — accused of assassinating politicians, journalists, biology activists, constabulary officers and anyone other who dares guidelines successful their measurement — has often issued menacing communiques, usually delivered by masked gunmen who opportunity they are speaking connected behalf of El Mencho.

“Mencho’s sanction and Mencho’s aura carried a batch of legend, it sowed fear,” Craine said. “He was the end-all, be-all figurehead.”

Oseguera’s connections to California widen beyond his early days successful the Bay Area. The DEA’s agency successful Los Angeles has led the agency’s lawsuit against him and his adjacent relatives, and the family’s ties to the region person spilled retired successful tribunal filings.

In 2024, national authorities arrested a suspected high-ranking cartel personnel who was accused of faking his decease and hiding retired successful Riverside, wherever he enjoyed a life of luxury. Authorities said Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa began moving for the CJNG about 2014, and later joined El Mencho’s youngest daughter, identified successful tribunal records arsenic a U.S. national who owns a java shop successful Riverside. Gutierrez-Ochoa pleaded blameworthy past twelvemonth to money laundering conspiracy charges and was sentenced to about 12 years successful prison.

It’s unclear precisely erstwhile Oseguera near his occupation arsenic a section constabulary serviceman and continued his life of crime, but astatine immoderate constituent successful the 1990s, Mexican authorities person said he began moving arsenic an enforcer for Los Cuinis and what was past known arsenic the Milenio cartel. He gained a estimation for his emotion of cockfights, besides calling himself “El Señor de Los Gallos” — the lord of the roosters.

Pedestrians locomotion past a autobus burned connected the road successful Cointzio, Michoacán, connected Sunday aft Mexico’s president announced the decease of Oseguera.

(Armando Solis / Associated Press)

A erstwhile cartel associate, Margarito “Jay” Flores, who grew up successful Chicago and, on pinch his copy brother, Pedro, became a high-level trafficker moving ample supplier shipments from Mexico, recalled his first brushwood pinch El Mencho successful 2007 successful Puerto Vallarta. Flores, who yet near the cartel life and has since cooperated extensively pinch U.S. authorities, told The Times that he and his brother, on pinch their wives, were detained by Mexican national constabulary officers aft a nighttime retired partying.

Flores said he dropped the names of respective apical capos trying to unafraid his release, but it wasn’t until he mentioned knowing El Mencho that his captors showed immoderate reaction.

“When I said that name, each their eyes lit up,” Flores said.

Flores said that aft a bid of telephone calls, El Mencho and a ample contingent of cartel gunmen arrived and ordered the Mexican authorities to merchandise their captives. Oseguera was mini — opinionated hardly 5 feet 6 pinch “the build of a jockey,” Flores said, but “confident and fearless.”

In a little standoff pinch Mexican rule enforcement, Flores said, Oseguera had told the main Mexican official: “We’re each going to do this the correct way, aliases we’re each going to die.”

The twins were released, and Oseguera sent them connected their measurement pinch a convoy of sicarios — hitmen — for safekeeping. At that clip he was only a section chieftain, but Flores said was not amazed that Oseguera later went connected to shape his ain cartel.

“He ruled pinch unit and fear,” Flores said. “He didn’t conscionable want to beryllium the boss, he wanted the world to cognize he was the boss.”

Times unit writers Kate Linthicum and Patrick McDonnell contributed to this report.