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Ruben “Nemesio” Oseguera Cervantes, infamously known as “El Mencho,” who commanded the influential Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), met his end on Sunday during a Mexican military action, as reported by authorities. This marks a significant shift in the power dynamics of Mexico’s drug cartels, particularly following the decline of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the previous head of the competing Sinaloa Cartel.
Under Oseguera’s stewardship, the CJNG aggressively expanded its influence across Mexico, clashing with the Sinaloa Cartel to dominate crucial drug trafficking routes into the United States. This expansion solidified CJNG’s reputation as one of the world’s most powerful drug trafficking entities.
The demise of Oseguera signifies the downfall of one of the most influential and elusive drug lords following El Chapo’s era. Both U.S. and Mexican authorities had long considered him a major orchestrator in the trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Christopher Landau, Deputy Secretary of State, confirmed that Mexican security forces were responsible for Oseguera’s death, acknowledging it as a major triumph in the fight against organized crime.
El Mencho was reportedly killed during a military operation in the state of Jalisco on Sunday, underscoring the ongoing efforts to dismantle organized crime networks. (Source: Drug Enforcement Administration)
“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.
A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on fire, in Cointzio, Michoacán state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, following the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho.” (Armando Solis/AP Photo)
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.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration in Atlanta seized more over 1,000 pounds of meth linked to the violent ‘Cartel Jalisco New Generation.’ (Fox News)
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.