The death of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as “El Mencho,” signifies the end of one of the most notorious and influential criminal careers in history. In the aftermath of his death, it appears that parts of Mexico are experiencing increased violence and chaos.
The 59-year-old leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was killed Sunday in a Mexican military operation in the area of Jalisco, allegedly with the help of U.S. intelligence. The drug kingpin was wounded in a shootout and reportedly died en route to medical treatment, as previously reported by DX.
From Humble Roots to Global Kingpin
Born July 17, 1966, in the rural community of Culotitlán, Michoacán – an area long associated with the drug trade in Mexico’s Tierra Caliente region – El Mencho allegedly dropped out of school before completing fifth grade and would later work picking avocados in his youth. His nickname “El Mencho” stemmed from a casual shortening of his first name, Nemesio. However, the English translation roughly means “King of the Roosters,” a title many reports connect to his infatuation with Mexico’s underground “cock-fighting” rings.
“El Mencho” spent a large portion of his life in America, at one point settling in California, where he was eventually arrested on multiple high-level charges. Court records show he was detained in 1986 for stolen property and carrying a loaded firearm, and again in 1989 for drug sales on a smaller level in San Francisco.
After deportation and reentry back into America, he was arrested in Sacramento in 1992. In 1994, a California court convicted him of conspiracy to distribute heroin, sentencing him to nearly three years in federal prison, where he was later deported to Mexico upon release.
Back in Mexico, Oseguera would momentarily leave his criminal past to allegedly serve in local law enforcement, before eventually returning to organized crime in his home country. This experience may have led to the drug kingpin’s future control of the police departments in Mexico.
He associated with drug lord Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel Villarreal and later partnered with Erik Valencia Salazar, alias “El 85,” to establish the CJNG around 2007–2009.
Initially aligned with the Sinaloa Cartel, the CJNG broke away, sparking prolonged territorial conflicts. Following Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s extradition to the United States in 2017, Oseguera positioned his specific cartel group to expand aggressively and quickly after El Chapo’s arrest.
Under his leadership, the CJNG grew into a huge global operation, with presence in more than 40 countries, while continuously pumping drugs into America. It became a primary source of fentanyl entering the United States, using chemicals from China processed in Mexican labs.
A 2022 Justice Department indictment charged Oseguera with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl for importation into the U.S., as well as directing a continuing criminal enterprise under the Drug Kingpin Enforcement Act.
Oseguera’s heavy influence and claw-like control over Mexico were spotlighted in a leaked September 2016 audio recording, per InsightCrime.org.
In the recorded clip, a voice identified as El Mencho ordered a Jalisco police lead officer labeled as (“Delta One”) to stand down, threatening to kill the officer, other police in the area, and even threatening to kill the Mexican police member’s family and pets if the local officers disobeyed his orders to vacate. In the transcribed clip, El Mencho reportedly says, “Sorry about the bad language” toward the end of the call.
Inner Circle Crumbles
For decades, El Mencho was among the most hunted humans in the Western Hemisphere, with a long stay on America’s Most Wanted list and a listed reward of $15 million.
Some intelligence reports indicated that he was constantly moving among remote mountain hideouts in Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Colima, guarded by ex-military personnel. However, that has not been confirmed by DX as of press time.
By the time of the Tapalpa operation, most of El Mencho’s inner circle had already been targeted. His son, Rubén Oseguera González (“El Menchito”), received a life sentence plus 30 years in an American federal prison in March 2025, with forfeiture of more than $6 billion in drug money. His brother, Antonio, was also extradited to the United States in February 2025.
On February 22, Mexican Special Forces, with support from the United States, conducted a raid that seems to have brought an end to a segment of Oseguera’s operations. However, it remains uncertain how much longer residents will endure violence and destruction in their cities due to the ongoing cartel crackdown.