MEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities have killed one of the world’s most wanted drug-traffickers—Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” founder and leader of the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which controls drug trafficking, extortion, fuel theft and other rackets throughout Mexico.
The death of Oseguera was widely reported in the Mexican press and was confirmed by a Mexican source, who said the kingpin’s death early Sunday was the results of a military operation that also targeted other cartel associates.
Oseguera’s death is the most significant take-down of a Mexican drug capo since the capture of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, former head of the Sinaloa cartel, who is now serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison.
There was no immediate official confirmation from Mexican authorities.
But the governor of western Jalisco State—where the Oseguera was said to have been killed—reported roadblocks and other disturbances throughout the western state and advised people to stay home.
Authorities also reported blocked roads in other areas of Mexico where the cartel held sway. Criminal groups in Mexico often use road-blocks to protest enforcement actions.
The reported death of Oseguera is a major achievement for the government of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has been under intense pressure from the Trump administration to crack down on U.S.-bound drug trafficking. In the past year, Mexico has dispatched scores of cartel suspects to the United States to face justice.
U.S. authorities had placed a $15-million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Oseguera.
It was not immediately clear what role, if any, U.S. authorities had in the operation to take down Oseguera. Sheinbaum has pledged “cooperation and coordination” with U.S. officials, but has rejected any direct U.S. role on the ground in anti-cartel operations.
Oseguera is said to have begun his career as a small-time heroin dealer in San Francisco.
One of the world’s most wanted criminals, rumors about El Mencho’s death and capture have circulated in the past and turned out to be false. But in recent years, authorities have seemingly closed in, capturing several high-ranking associates and close family members.
Oseguera oversaw a military-like buildup of his cartel, which pioneered the use of armored vehicles, land mines, drones and other military hardware. Among other attacks, the Jalisco gang was blamed for the 2015 downing of a Mexican military helicopter, which resulted in the the death of nine Mexican law enforcement officials. The helicopter—reportedly hit with U.S.-made 0.50-caliber machine-gun rounds—-was on a mission to capture the elusive cartel boss.
His son, Rubén Oseguera González, known as “El Menchito,” was captured and extradited from Mexico in February 2020.
He was convicted in 2024 on an array of drug and weapons charges related to his leadership role in the cartel and is now serving a life sentence. Bureau of Prisons records show he is currently housed in so-called “Alcatraz of The Rockies,” a maximum-security federal prison in Florence, Colorado, that also houses the “El Chapo” and other infamous criminals.
His daughter, Jessica Johanna Oseguera González, was arrested while visiting one of her brother’s court proceedings and eventually pleaded guilty to violations of the “Kingpin Act” related to money laundering. She reportedly spent just over two years in prison before her release in 2022.
Staff writers McDonnell, Linthicum and Hamilton reported from Mexico City, New York and San Francisco, respectively. Speical correspondent Cecilia Sánchez Vidal contributed.
