Heartbroken Brother of Fallen Cartel Leader Admits Guilt in U.S. Drug Trafficking Case

WASHINGTON – In a significant development from the nation’s capital, a man related to a notorious Mexican drug lord admitted guilt on Friday for his role in a conspiracy to smuggle cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States.

Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, involved in cartel operations alongside his late brother, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes—infamously known as “El Mencho”—worked with the drug kingpin until El Mencho was killed by Mexican military forces in February, as detailed by federal prosecutors.

As a co-founder and leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, the CJNG, El Mencho had led one of Mexico’s most formidable drug trafficking networks. The cartel, which has been classified by its Spanish initials, CJNG, was labeled a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration last year.

Now, at the age of 67, Antonio Oseguera Cervantes from Michoacán, Mexico, is confronting the reality of a minimum 15-year prison sentence. His fate will be officially decided when U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell delivers the sentencing on November 13.

In addition to admitting to the conspiracy, Oseguera Cervantes also accepted responsibility for possessing a firearm to bolster the drug trafficking operations in which he was involved.

Oseguera Cervantes was transferred from Mexico to the U.S. for prosecution in February 2025. He was a member of the Milenio Cartel before his brother co-founded the CJNG.