El Mencho

Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, was born on July 17, 1966, in Michoacán, Mexico. Growing up in poverty, he began cultivating avocados and left school early. In the 1980s, he immigrated illegally to the United States, where he faced multiple arrests and was eventually deported back to Mexico in the early 1990s. It was during this time that he became involved with the Milenio Cartel, gradually rising through the ranks of organized crime.

El Mencho's ambition led him to establish the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a powerful criminal organization that emerged as one of Mexico's most notorious drug trafficking groups. His leadership was marked by aggressive tactics and brutal violence against rival factions and law enforcement, which drew significant attention from both Mexican and U.S. authorities. At the height of his notoriety, he was considered the most wanted man in Mexico and one of the top fugitives in the United States, with rewards reaching up to fifteen million dollars from the U.S. government and three hundred million pesos from Mexico.

Under his command, the CJNG expanded its operations globally, coordinating extensive drug trafficking networks. El Mencho's ability to evade capture was attributed to his strategic hiding in rural areas of Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit, or Colima, often protected by well-trained mercenaries. However, his reign came to a violent end on February 22, 2026, when he was critically injured during a military operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco. Despite efforts to transport him to Mexico City for medical attention, he succumbed to his injuries.

The aftermath of his death sparked a wave of retaliatory violence from the CJNG, resulting in significant clashes with security forces, including the tragic loss of at least twenty-five National Guard members. El Mencho's legacy remains a stark reminder of the ongoing battle against organized crime in Mexico.