From Rural Migrant To Cartel Chief: The Rise And Fall Of El Mencho

2026-02-24 04:14:45

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) For more than a decade, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as 'El Mencho,' led one of the world's most powerful drug trafficking organisations, transforming the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) from a breakaway faction into a dominant force in Mexico's criminal underworld.

That chapter ended on February 22. Wounded during a military operation in Jalisco state, he died from gunshot injuries while being airlifted to Mexico City, closing a career marked by ruthless expansion and years of evading capture.

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The aftermath was violent and swift. CJNG gunmen torched vehicles, blocked highways and clashed with security forces across multiple states. Authorities reported that at least 25 National Guard members were killed as violence spread through parts of Jalisco and neighbouring regions.

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The trajectory that led to that moment began far from the conflict zones he would later dominate.

Who was 'El Mencho'?

Born on July 17, 1966, in the rural village of Naranjo de Chila in Michoacan, Oseguera grew up in a farming family. As a young man, he moved to California, where he found work but soon became involved in drug trafficking. Arrests for heroin distribution followed and a 1994 conviction led to nearly three years in federal prison before he was deported to Mexico at 30.

The setback did not slow him. After returning to his home region, he briefly worked as a local police officer, a stint that later contributed to his reputation for understanding law enforcement tactics. He soon left the force and turned fully to organised crime.

Oseguera's rise began within the Milenio Cartel, a Michoacan-based organisation linked to broader trafficking networks. His marriage to Rosalinda Gonzalez Valencia, whose brothers held influence within the group, strengthened his position and expanded his alliances. Known for discipline and ruthlessness, he rose through the ranks. By the late 2000s, internal divisions were fracturing the Milenio organisation.

Around 2009–2010, he co-founded what became the Jalisco New Generation Cartel or CJNG, presenting it as a breakaway group formed to challenge rivals such as the Zetas. The organisation rapidly consolidated territory in western Mexico.

Under his leadership, CJNG evolved into one of the country's most powerful and aggressive cartels. It secured control of key Pacific ports, ensuring access to precursor chemicals from China used to manufacture synthetic drugs. The group became a major supplier of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl to the United States.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) described CJNG as operating in dozens of countries with thousands of members and associates, playing a major role in the flow of synthetic drugs into the United States. Its rise was accompanied by violence. In 2015, CJNG fighters brought down a Mexican military helicopter and killed 15 police officers in separate attacks in Jalisco. In 2020, gunmen mounted a brazen attack on Mexico City's police chief. The group's turf wars with rivals such as Sinaloa factions and Santa Rosa de Lima led to mass killings, kidnappings and migrant smuggling operations. It also expanded rapidly through aggressive recruitment and the use of social media to circulate propaganda and intimidate opponents.

Low public profile

Unlike some cartel leaders who courted notoriety, Oseguera maintained a low public profile. Few recent photographs of him circulated, and authorities said he frequently moved between remote locations to avoid detection

Reports of chronic kidney problems led to claims that he relied on private medical arrangements rather than public hospitals.

Authorities also said he sought to cultivate local support by distributing cash and basic supplies in some rural communities, even as the organisation relied on violence elsewhere.

Family ties strengthened his organisation but also exposed it to pressure. His wife faced repeated arrests on money-laundering charges linked to alleged cartel businesses. His son, Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, known as 'El Menchito' and once seen as a potential successor, was captured in 2015 and extradited to the United States in 2020 before being sentenced to life in prison on drug and firearms charges. His daughter, Jessica Johanna Oseguera Gonzalez, was also extradited on related charges.

The legal cases narrowed his inner circle, even as authorities said he remained deeply protective of his family and sought to shield them from prosecution.

El Mencho's death marks the most significant blow to Mexican organised crime since the recapture of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. With no clear successor and key family members either imprisoned in the US or facing long sentences, analysts warn of possible fragmentation. Rival factions could compete for control, other cartels may attempt to seize territory, and violence could intensify in already contested regions.