Mexican Forces Kill Jalisco Cartel Leader 'El Mencho' After Tracking His Mistress
Mexican intelligence officers tracked down one of the lovers of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes to a secluded resort compound, leading to a raid that resulted in the death of the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader, officials confirmed on Monday.
Operation Details and Firefight
Defence Secretary Ricardo Trevilla revealed that agents identified a man close to a girlfriend of the late Oseguera, who was then taken to Tapalpa, a mountainside retreat in Mexico’s Jalisco State on the west coast. Shortly after the girlfriend left the resort, Mexico deployed special forces to infiltrate the site and take out Oseguera and his men.
Troops entered the compound and were fired upon by Oseguera’s gunmen, sparking a fierce firefight. This led to a chase in nearby woods, resulting in the death of four cartel members. Three others, including Oseguera himself, were critically injured and died en route to a hospital in Mexico City.
Additional Casualties and Bounties
In a separate location in Jalisco, soldiers killed another high-ranking cartel member who was coordinating violence and offering bounties of more than $1,000 for every soldier killed. Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch reported that the dead included 25 members of the Mexican National Guard killed in six separate attacks.
Harfuch added that approximately 30 criminal suspects were killed in Jalisco, with four others killed in the neighboring state of Michoacan. A prison guard and an agent from the state prosecutor’s office were also among the fatalities.
Who Was 'El Mencho'?
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes was born on July 17, 1966, in Naranjo de Chila to poor avocado farmers. He dropped out of school in Grade 5 to help his family on the farm and began guarding marijuana crops by age 14. He later moved to California, where his criminal activity started.
Involved in drug trafficking since the 1990s, Oseguera served nearly three years in an American prison for conspiracy to distribute heroin before returning to Mexico in 1997. He worked as a police officer in Jalisco state before rejoining crime, becoming involved with the Milenio Cartel in Guadalajara, which was linked to the Sinaloa Cartel.
Oseguera ran a network of assassins for the Milenio Cartel and rose to power following arrests of other cartel leaders. He formed CJNG in 2009, funding and growing it with fellow cartel boss Abigael Gonzalez-Valencia, cementing their alliance by marrying Gonzalez-Valencia’s sister.
Cartel's Brutal History and Global Impact
The CJNG has trafficked fentanyl into the U.S. and was assessed to have the highest cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine trafficking capacity in Mexico. Before his death, there was a $15-million reward for Oseguera’s arrest or conviction.
The cartel is known for extreme violence, including:
- In 2011, in Veracruz, CJNG tortured and killed 35 members of a rival cartel, dumping their bodies on a main road.
- In 2015, in Jalisco, 15 Mexican police officers were killed in an ambush, described as one of the deadliest attacks on security forces in modern Mexican history.
- That same year, CJNG shot down a military helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade, killing nine soldiers.
- In June 2020, CJNG attempted to assassinate Mexico City Secretary of Public Security Omar Garcia Harfuch, injuring him while killing two bodyguards and a bystander.
- In January 2025, Toronto Police seized 835 kilos of cocaine linked to the cartel in Project Castillo—the largest seizure in Toronto Police Service history—with a street value of $83 million.
This operation marks a significant blow to one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organizations, though the long-term impact on drug trafficking and violence remains to be seen.
