He went from being a young man from a rural town in Michoacan west of Mexico to become one of the most powerful and wanted drug traffickers in the world. Nemesio Oseguera Cervantesalias ‘El Mencho’, was killed this Sunday in a police operation led by federal forces from the western state of Jalisco who has had the help of USA.
Born in 1966 in Aguililla (Michoacán)Oseguera Cervantes migrated to the United States in his youth, where he was arrested for drug-related crimes before being deported to Mexico. Upon his return, in the 90s, he joined drug trafficking structures linked to the Millennium Carteland after the fragmentation of that criminal group, he led the consolidation of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)at the beginning of the 2010s.
Under his leadership, the Cartel expanded rapidly until it had a presence in a large part of Mexican territory and consolidated international routes for the trafficking of methamphetamines and fentanyl to the United States.
With him at the helm, the organization was accused of committing massacres, ambushes on authorities and coordinated blockades in different entities of the country, and was characterized by its rapid territorial expansion, its financial capacity and the use of extreme violence against rival groups and security forces.
Violence, terror and deaths
Among the episodes with the greatest impact attributed to ‘El Mencho’, the attack, in June 2020, against the then Secretary of Citizen Security of Mexico City (now Secretary of Security of Mexico) stands out. Omar García Harfuchwhen an armed commando ambushed his vehicle on one of the main avenues of the city. Mexico Cityleaving several dead and injured.
Various attacks against federal and state forces in Jalisco and Michoacán are also attributed to him, including the attack on a military helicopter in 2015, as well as massive blockades in different states in response to security operations.
The criminal group has also been linked to multiple massacres and clandestine operation centers, including the Izaguirre ranchin Teuchitlán, Jaliscofound in March 2025, as well as secured properties in the west of the country identified as alleged training centers.
One of the most wanted drug traffickers
For the United States government, Oseguera Cervantes was one of the most wanted drug traffickers in the world. He US Department of State offered up to 15 million dollars for information leading to his capture, while the Treasury Department included him on its list of kingpins sanctioned for international drug trafficking.
Despite multiple operations against him for more than a decade, ‘El Mencho’ managed to evade capture until this Sunday, when he was killed during a federal operation in the municipality of Tapalpa, Jaliscogenerating a climate of violence in the region with various blockades of avenues and burning of vehicles and businesses.
The fall of Oseguera Cervantes represents one of the most relevant blows against drug trafficking in recent years in Mexico, comparable in size to the capture of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán in 2016. With his death, the CJNG loses its top leader and begins a new stage, amid doubts about how it will be reorganized and what effects it will have on organized crime in Mexico.
