New York : Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, the notorious Mexican drug lord known as ‘El Mencho’ and leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed in a military operation in western Mexico on Sunday. Oseguera was captured during the raid but died of injuries sustained in a firefight while being transported for treatment, following the operation that was carried out with support from US intelligence. His death marks one of the biggest blows to organized crime in the country in recent years.
El Mencho, was one of the most feared and powerful drug lords in modern Mexico, rising from rural poverty to lead a global criminal empire marked by extreme violence. He was a former police officer who turned to organised crime, and his death ended years of pursuit by both Mexican and US agencies. El Mencho was the founder and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), an organisation that grew within a decade into one of the most powerful and militarised criminal groups globally.
The cartel also diversified into fuel theft, extortion, kidnapping, forced labour, and money laundering, turning itself into a diversified criminal enterprise rather than a conventional drug trafficking group. Born in 1966 in Mexico’s Michoacan, a region long associated with drug cultivation, Oseguera grew up working in agricultural fields before migrating illegally to the United States in the 1980s. After returning, he briefly joined local law enforcement, gaining contacts and operational knowledge that would later aid his criminal career.
This marked another turning point in Mexico’s criminal landscape. His leadership style combined business efficiency with ruthless violence. The CJNG adopted paramilitary tactics rarely seen at such a scale in organised crime, deploying armoured vehicles, heavy weapons, rocket launchers, and uniformed gunmen. The cartel frequently released propaganda videos showing convoys of fighters to project power and intimidate opponents.
One of the most dramatic incidents occurred in 2015, when cartel gunmen shot down a Mexican military helicopter using a rocket-propelled grenade during an operation aimed at capturing him. In the same year, over a six-week period, CJNG killed 24 police officers in western Mexico as a warning to authorities. In 2020, the cartel was also blamed for a high-profile assassination attempt on Mexico City’s police chief Omar Garcia Harfuch, who survived despite suffering serious injuries, while two of his bodyguards were killed.
El Mencho maintained a relatively low personal profile compared to other cartel leaders. He rarely appeared in public and communicated through intermediaries or threatening audio recordings leaked online. His ability to evade capture for years enhanced his mystique and reputation within criminal networks. Authorities believed he relied on rural hideouts, loyal bodyguards including former military personnel and corruption within institutions to remain ahead of law enforcement operations.
At the same time, the organisation sought legitimacy among local populations. During the Covid pandemic, cartel members distributed food packages branded with CJNG logos to struggling communities, helping cultivate loyalty in regions where government services were limited. Experts noted that this blend of violence and social support mirrored strategies used by insurgent groups seeking territorial control.
His son, Rubn Oseguera, known as “El Menchito,” was sentenced to life imprisonment in the United States in 2025 for drug trafficking and weapons offences, highlighting the transnational nature of the cartel’s activities. Mexican authorities said El Mencho was killed during a military raid following a firefight with security forces. His death triggered immediate cartel retaliation, including roadblocks, vehicle burnings, and armed confrontations across several states, demonstrating the central role he played in CJNG’s command structure.
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