‘El Mencho,’ the most wanted drug trafficker, is killed in a security operation in Jalisco Mexico

Mexican military forces have killed Rubén Nemesio Oseguera, widely known as “El Mencho,” during a weekend operation in the mountainous region of Jalisco, according to official sources cited by the Spanish newspaper El País. Oseguera was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), considered Mexico’s most powerful and aggressive criminal syndicate and one of the most dominant drug trafficking organizations in the world.

Authorities have not yet released many operational details, but sources indicate he was killed in his longtime stronghold in Jalisco, where he had operated for years under heavy protection from loyal cartel members. His death marks one of the most significant blows to organized crime in Mexico in recent history.

In terms of magnitude, analysts compare the event to the July 2024 capture of Ismael Zambada García, known as “El Mayo,” a historic leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. Like Joaquín Guzmán before him, El Mencho cultivated an image of secrecy and elusiveness. Few recent photographs of him existed, and much of his mystique stemmed from the CJNG’s rapid expansion, extreme violence, and its reputation for sophisticated weaponry and disciplined armed wings.

Following confirmation of his death, cartel members reportedly set up roadblocks and carried out disruptive actions in several central Mexican states, including Michoacán and Jalisco — his primary areas of influence — as well as Tamaulipas, Colima, and Guanajuato. Security experts warn that his killing could trigger a violent internal struggle for control of the organization. The CJNG’s strength in recent years had depended heavily on the survival of its top leadership, with only a few high-ranking figures removed, such as Abimael González, alias “El Cuini,” who was extradited to the United States earlier this year.

Oseguera belonged to a generation of traffickers whose criminal careers began in the late 20th century, during the long rule of Mexico’s Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), when relationships between criminal groups and political power were often more centralized. As political power fragmented in the 2000s and the old arrangements dissolved, cartels splintered and diversified, forming heavily armed enforcement wings. Amid that shift — and a steady flow of weapons from the United States — El Mencho rose as one of the most adaptable and ruthless figures in the underworld.

With his death, none of the most prominent leaders of that era remain at large. El Chapo and El Mayo are imprisoned in the United States, and now El Mencho has been killed in the same western region where his power once flourished.

Born on July 17, 1966, in Naranjo de Chila, Michoacán, Oseguera was raised in a farming family that later migrated to California. Early photographs show him as a young man with curly hair and a hardened expression. Over time, he built his criminal career from small-scale drug dealing to becoming a hitman, then a regional boss, and eventually the head of a global trafficking empire. Under his command, the CJNG expanded aggressively, challenging rivals and authorities alike while establishing operations that stretched well beyond Mexico’s borders.

He had most recently been hiding in rugged areas of Jalisco between Guadalajara — one of the host cities for the upcoming World Cup — and the coastal resort city of Puerto Vallarta. Federal security sources had reportedly narrowed his location to the vicinity of Atequiza prior to the operation.

His death represents a major moment for President Claudia Sheinbaum and her security cabinet, led by Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch. The operation comes at a critical time for the administration, as violence has escalated in regions such as Sinaloa and Michoacán. While officials are framing the event as a landmark success in Mexico’s fight against organized crime, the immediate aftermath suggests that instability and potential cartel infighting could follow.

Source: EL PAIS