Who was Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho?

Mexican drug lord El Mencho led the Jalisco New Generation Cartel before his reported death

Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, was the co-founder and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal groups.

Authorities say he was killed in an operation by Mexican special forces on Sunday.

El Mencho was born in Aguililla, Michoacán, and became involved in drug trafficking in the 1990s. As a young man, he migrated to the United States, where he was convicted in 1994 on heroin conspiracy charges and served nearly three years in prison before being deported to Mexico.

After returning, he re-entered the drug trade and later worked under a senior figure in the Sinaloa cartel before helping form the CJNG in the mid-2000s.

Regarding his background in law enforcement, US and Mexican authorities have described him as a former police officer in Mexico earlier in his life, though details about the length and nature of that service remain limited in public records.

Under his leadership, the CJNG became known for its aggressive expansion, heavy weaponry and direct attacks on security forces.

US officials indicted him multiple times on drug trafficking and weapons charges, alleging the cartel trafficked cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the United States.

Less publicly visible than Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, El Mencho maintained a low profile, with few confirmed photographs in circulation, even as his organization grew into a dominant force in Mexico’s criminal underworld.