Ruben “Nemesio” Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” the powerful leader of the Mexican Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) who rose to prominence after the fall of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the former head of the rival Sinaloa Cartel, was killed Sunday in a Mexican military operation, authorities said.
Under Oseguera’s leadership, CJNG expanded aggressively across Mexico, battling Sinaloa for control of key trafficking corridors into the United States and cementing its status as one of the world’s most formidable drug trafficking organizations.
His death marks the fall of one of the most influential and elusive cartel bosses of the post–El Chapo era, long viewed by U.S. and Mexican officials as a central architect of fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said he had been informed that Mexican security forces killed Oseguera, calling it a significant victory.
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“I’ve just been informed that Mexican security forces have killed ‘El Mencho,’ one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins,” Landau wrote on X. “This is a great development for Mexico, the U.S., Latin America and the world. The good guys are stronger than the bad guys.”
A senior State Department official separately confirmed Oseguera’s death and referred to Landau’s remarks.
The State Department issued a travel alert Sunday for multiple areas of Mexico, urging U.S. citizens to shelter in place due to “ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity,” including parts of Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo León.
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Oseguera, a former police officer, helped found CJNG around 2009 after splintering from the Sinaloa Cartel. In the years that followed, the group evolved from a regional faction into one of the most dominant trafficking networks in the world.
U.S. authorities steadily increased the reward for information leading to his capture, at one point offering up to $15 million, placing him among the most wanted fugitives globally.
Former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official Paul Craine once described Oseguera as “public enemy No. 1” and said he commanded an “army of thousands.”
Authorities have linked him to coordinated attacks on Mexican security forces, including a 2015 assault in Jalisco in which cartel gunmen used rocket-propelled grenades to bring down a military helicopter.
Over time, CJNG gained a reputation for projecting strength through public displays of force and social media messaging, reinforcing its position as one of Mexico’s most feared criminal organizations.
His death removes one of the most dominant figures in Mexico’s criminal underworld and could reshape the balance of power among rival cartels.
Who is El Mencho? Inside the rise of CJNG’s fallen kingpin and the cartel he built 2026 IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2026 2026-02-22 23:07:37 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
