Few names have left a lasting mark on Mexican organised crime like Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as “El Mencho.”
As the elusive leader of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), he transformed the group into a transnational force. Despite multi-million dollar rewards and intense manhunts, he evaded capture for years, cementing his reputation as one of the most powerful figures in modern cartel history.
According to the BBC, El Mencho rose from modest beginnings in Michoacán to lead the CJNG through force, ambition, and ruthless strategy. His leadership style shaped the cartel’s rapid expansion across Mexico and beyond.
His death is being hailed as a major victory in both Mexico and the United States.
Authorities confirmed that US intelligence assisted in the operation, highlighting unprecedented cross-border collaboration. For Mexico’s armed forces, eliminating the cartel chief removes a central figure and, at least temporarily, weakens the network he commanded.
Retaliation from El Mencho’s loyalists was immediate. Violence erupted across at least eight states, from Guerrero on the Pacific coast to Tamaulipas in the north-east. Mexico City and the State of Mexico also saw disturbances.
Jalisco experienced some of the fiercest unrest, with masked gunmen torching shops in Guadalajara, one of the host cities for this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
In Puerto Vallarta, residents and tourists were urged to stay indoors. These acts signal both loyalty to El Mencho and anger at authorities. Whether the unrest is symbolic or the start of prolonged violence remains uncertain.
El Mencho’s influence was central to the cartel’s rise. In the 1980s, he moved to the United States as an undocumented migrant and became involved in marijuana cultivation in Michoacán.
Arrests in California and subsequent prison time ended with his deportation at 30, after which he joined the Milenio Cartel in Mexico and built a reputation as a strategic, ruthless leader.
When internal divisions fractured Milenio, El Mencho seized control and formed the CJNG.
The decline of the Sinaloa Cartel following Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s extradition further enabled his rise.
CJNG expanded aggressively, taking control of large parts of the fentanyl trade, particularly after the fall of El Chapo’s sons and rivals such as Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has since praised the army’s operation that led to El Mencho’s death and said her priority is to guarantee peace and security across the country.
“There is calm, there is government, there are armed forces, and there is a lot of co-ordination,” Sheinbaum said.