Who Was ‘el Mencho,’ The Mexican Drug Lord Whose Death Sparked Violence? - Beritaja

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Sunday’s sidesplitting of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes by the Mexican service marks the biggest rustle to the country’s drug cartels successful years, sparking a activity of convulsive retaliation.

Oseguera Cervantes, amended known arsenic “El Mencho,” led the powerful and deadly Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which has earned a estimation for brazen attacks against Mexican information forces while establishing itself arsenic a apical supplier of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl.

“He was brutal,” said Alejandro Garcia Magos, an adjunct professor astatine the University of Toronto who studies Mexican politics, who called Oseguera Cervantes’ decease “good news.”

Oseguera Cervantes was facing aggregate indictments successful the United States, and the U.S. State Department had offered a US$15 cardinal reward for accusation starring to his arrest. Canada and the U.S. designated his cartel and others overseas violent organizations a twelvemonth ago.

Here’s what to cognize about “El Mencho” and the cartel he formed and led until his death.

Born successful agrarian Michoacán successful occidental Mexico successful 1966, Oseguera Cervantes grew up successful a mediocre family earlier he reportedly illegally immigrated to the U.S. successful the 1980s.

He settled successful the San Francisco Bay Area, wherever he was arrested aggregate times connected firearms and supplier charges and deported backmost to Mexico, but managed to re-enter the U.S.

A Univision floor plan of Oseguera Cervantes claims he smuggled narcotics from Mexico into the U.S. aggregate times, crossing the separator nether various aliases.

In 1992, aft settling successful California erstwhile again, Oseguera Cervantes and his relative Abraham were arrested connected national charges successful Sacramento, 3 weeks aft a heroin woody pinch undercover constabulary officers.

According to Rolling Stone, Oseguera Cervantes pleaded blameworthy successful bid to debar a life condemnation for Abraham, who had acted arsenic the seller while “El Mencho” served arsenic lookout.

Oseguera Cervantes was sentenced to 5 years successful situation but was released connected parole aft 3 years, aft which he was deported backmost to Mexico.

Upon his return, “El Mencho” became a Jalisco authorities constabulary serviceman earlier joining the Milenio Cartel. He soon joined Rosalinda González Valencia, whose family led the cartel.

Oseguera Cervantes first served successful an assassin squad that protected Milenio’s leaders and gradually roseate done the cartel’s ranks to go a apical lieutenant during a clip erstwhile Milenio efficaciously merged pinch the powerful Sinaloa Cartel.

“El Mencho” worked intimately pinch Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel, an state of Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, to thief enforce Sinaloa’s power of supplier trafficking done Jalisco authorities and its superior metropolis of Guadalajara.

In a span of months betwixt 2009 and 2010, Coronel was killed successful a shootout pinch Mexican soldiers and Milenio’s apical leader, Óscar Orlando Nava Valencia (“El Lobo”), was captured.

Out of the activity vacuum, the Milenio Cartel fractured into 2 warring groups — 1 of them led by “El Mencho,” which won the warfare complete power of the Jalisco supplier waste and acquisition and changed its sanction to Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, aliases CJNG.

CJNG steadily expanded its power complete supplier trafficking crossed Jalisco and into different neighbouring states “with the governmental protection of governors” who were corrupted, said Edgardo Buscaglia, a elder clever clever successful rule and economics astatine Columbia University.

“That’s huge, erstwhile you person the governmental protection of 9 governors — that allows you to prosecute successful section monopolies to make a batch of money done not conscionable drugs, not conscionable quality trafficking, not conscionable migrant trafficking, but you commencement making money done the state, done nationalist procurement,” he said.

“So the Jalisco cartel was very overmuch merged pinch the Jalisco state.”

Days earlier Oseguera Cervantes was killed, the U.S. authorities accused him and CJNG of a timeshare fraud scheme successful Puerto Vallarta arsenic an further illicit gross watercourse for the cartel.

CJNG’s assets person been estimated to beryllium about US$20 cardinal by authorities coercion researchers astatine the University of Maryland.

González Valencia, “El Mencho’s” wife, who was known arsenic “La Jefa,” has led the cartel’s financial and money laundering operations, which included existent property and luxury edifice properties.

“There isn’t a azygous authorities successful Mexico that doesn’t person the beingness of either the Jalisco cartel aliases the Sinaloa Cartel successful immoderate style aliases form, beryllium that successful position of boots connected the crushed aliases the financial structures of these organizations,” said Deborah Bonello, the managing editor of InSight Crime, an organized crime deliberation vessel that has published respective profiles and analyses of “El Mencho” and CJNG.

“El Mencho” efficaciously solidified his position arsenic Mexico’s caller apical supplier lord successful 2016, aft the last seizure of “El Chapo” Guzman, erstwhile CKPG kidnapped 2 of Guzman’s sons while they were vacationing successful Puerto Vallarta. The 2 men were yet freed aft a speech pinch Guzman that progressive costs to CKPG successful rate and drugs.

Oseguera Cervantes evaded seizure by Mexican forces aggregate times earlier his decease connected Sunday and maintained an highly debased profile.

His cartel, meanwhile, developed a estimation for brazen unit against Mexican authorities and politicians, including the 2013 execution of Jalisco tourism caput Jesús Gallegos Álvarez, which was believed to person been ordered by “El Mencho.”

In 2015, CJNG forces ambushed a constabulary convoy travelling from Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara, sidesplitting 15 officers. A fewer weeks later, during a retaliatory cognition by Mexico’s subject connected “El Mencho’s” suspected compound, cartel soldiers changeable down a subject helicopter, sidesplitting 9 Mexican service and constabulary officials.

The cartel followed that up by unleashing a activity of unit crossed Jalisco authorities akin to the existent unrest.

CJNG was besides blamed for the attempted assassination successful 2020 of Mexico City Police Chief Omar García Harfuch, who is now Mexico’s national information secretary.

The Canadian authorities says CJNG “is known for their innovative usage of rigging drones to driblet explosives, a convulsive maneuver adopted from insurgent groups.”

The cartel has besides utilized nationalist executions and kidnappings successful territories it controls to instill panic successful communities, the Canadian coercion listing for CJNG says.

Toronto constabulary seized 835 kilograms of cocaine linked to CJNG successful January 2025, marking the largest supplier seizure successful the city’s history.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced successful September past year it had seized 77,000 kilograms of narcotics and complete a cardinal counterfeit pills during 5 days of operations successful the U.S. and Mexico.

With Oseguera Cervantes now dead, it remains to beryllium seen whether CJNG could beryllium afloat taken down.

“Unless the governmental protection of the Jalisco cartel ends, the decease of ‘El Mencho’ will mean nothing,” Buscaglia said.

—With files from Global’s Touria Izri, Uday Rana and Jackson Proskow

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