'el Mencho': From California Drug Dealer To Cartel Kingpin

Long earlier he had a $15-million bounty connected his caput arsenic nan leader of Mexico’s ruthless Jalisco New Generation cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes was a scruffy-haired kid trying to eke retired a surviving connected nan streets of San Francisco.

He crossed nan separator illegally sometime earlier he turned 20, making nan migrant’s travel northbound from nan avocado and lime orchards that situation his family’s mini municipality successful nan authorities of Michoacán. He was picked up first connected meth charges connected May 14, 1986, according to news reports and a San Francisco constabulary booking photo, which shows him successful a bluish hoodie scowling into nan camera. He was arrested doubly more, yet for trading $9,500 worthy of heroin to 2 undercover officers astatine a barroom successful 1992.

He went to prison, sewage deported and, contempt his record, became a section constabulary serviceman backmost home.

So began nan criminal profession of 1 of nan astir infamous figures successful nan world of world supplier trafficking. It ended successful spectacular and convulsive manner Sunday, pinch Mexican authorities announcing that nan kingpin nicknamed “El Mencho” had been killed successful a shootout pinch authorities forces successful Jalisco, nan authorities his group, known arsenic nan CJNG, has agelong dominated.

The sidesplitting unleashed shock waves of violence crossed nan swaths of Mexico wherever nan CJNG holds sway. Flights into immoderate Jalisco airports were grounded and cartel gunmen blockaded highways by mounting occurrence to vehicles successful 20 states, according to Mexican authorities. The country’s apical information charismatic said 25 members of nan National Guard were killed Sunday successful reprisal attacks. President Claudia Sheinbaum called connected nan nationalist to stay calm and maintained that astir territory successful nan state was successful a authorities of “complete normality.”

The discord betwixt nan president’s remarks and nan images circulating connected societal media of torched cars billowing acheronian plumes of fume — on pinch swirling rumors complete nan grade of U.S. engagement successful nan cognition — has added a murky coda to Oseguera’s convulsive and tumultuous life. He roseate from small-time California supplier peddler to nan caput of an organized crime group pinch tentacles that agelong astir nan globe, an ascension that tracks pinch nan broader improvement of Mexico’s cartels.

Oseguera, nan leader of nan Jalisco New Generation cartel, is shown pinch his boy Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, known arsenic El Menchito, successful an grounds photograph utilized by national prosecutors.

(U.S. District Court)

Once almost solely dedicated to moving illicit substances to meet nan request of American consumers, nan groups person diversified their business to see quality smuggling, extortion, substance theft and even, according to recent U.S. Treasury Department filings against nan CJNG, a timeshare fraud strategy that targeted visitors successful Puerto Vallarta.

The narco-blockades that person upended life successful parts of Mexico since Sunday besides bespeak nan CJNG’s fearsome powerfulness arsenic a paramilitary organization. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration estimated successful 2023 that nan cartel employs astir 20,000 “members, associates, facilitators and brokers” successful various countries. Cells successful Mexico are equipped to nan teeth pinch military-grade weaponry, including drones that driblet explosives, improvised onshore mines and .50-caliber rifles that occurrence carrot-sized armor-piercing bullets. The Trump management designated nan CJNG arsenic a violent group past year, escalating nan unit that U.S. officials person agelong exerted connected Mexican authorities to dismantle nan group and return retired its founder.

Although experts said his decease was a awesome rustle to nan CJNG, they besides cautioned that Oseguera’s creation has metastasized beyond nan constituent wherever decapitating nan superior caput will origin nan hydra-like infrastructure to collapse.

Paul Craine, nan erstwhile caput of nan DEA successful Mexico, said Oseguera pioneered a benignant of franchise system, wherever section criminal groups are co-opted and allowed to alert nan CJNG banner — arsenic agelong arsenic they salary tribute.

With various factions controlled by cardinal lieutenants, immoderate of them adjacent relatives, Oseguera’s moniker has been invoked to instill panic and support subordinates successful line, Craine said. The group — accused of assassinating politicians, journalists, biology activists, constabulary officers and anyone other who dares guidelines successful their measurement — has often issued menacing communiques, usually delivered by masked gunmen who opportunity they are speaking connected behalf of El Mencho.

“Mencho’s sanction and Mencho’s aura carried a batch of legend, it sowed fear,” Craine said. “He was nan end-all, be-all figurehead.”

Oseguera’s connections to California widen beyond his early days successful nan Bay Area. The DEA’s agency successful Los Angeles has led nan agency’s lawsuit against him and his adjacent relatives, and nan family’s ties to nan region person spilled retired successful tribunal filings.

In 2024, national authorities arrested a suspected high-ranking cartel personnel who was accused of faking his decease and hiding retired successful Riverside, wherever he enjoyed a life of luxury. Authorities said Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa began moving for nan CJNG astir 2014, and later joined El Mencho’s youngest daughter, identified successful tribunal records arsenic a U.S. national who owns a java shop successful Riverside. Gutierrez-Ochoa pleaded blameworthy past twelvemonth to money laundering conspiracy charges and was sentenced to astir 12 years successful prison.

It’s unclear precisely erstwhile Oseguera near his occupation arsenic a section constabulary serviceman and continued his life of crime, but astatine immoderate constituent successful nan 1990s, Mexican authorities person said he began moving arsenic an enforcer for Los Cuinis and what was past known arsenic nan Milenio cartel. He gained a estimation for his emotion of cockfights, besides calling himself “El Señor de Los Gallos” — nan lord of nan roosters.

Pedestrians locomotion past a autobus burned connected nan road successful Cointzio, Michoacán, connected Sunday aft Mexico’s president announced nan decease of Oseguera.

(Armando Solis / Associated Press)

A erstwhile cartel associate, Margarito “Jay” Flores, who grew up successful Chicago and, on pinch his copy brother, Pedro, became a high-level trafficker moving ample supplier shipments from Mexico, recalled his first brushwood pinch El Mencho successful 2007 successful Puerto Vallarta. Flores, who yet near nan cartel life and has since cooperated extensively pinch U.S. authorities, told The Times that he and his brother, on pinch their wives, were detained by Mexican national constabulary officers aft a nighttime retired partying.

Flores said he dropped nan names of respective apical capos trying to unafraid his release, but it wasn’t until he mentioned knowing El Mencho that his captors showed immoderate reaction.

“When I said that name, each their eyes lit up,” Flores said.

Flores said that aft a bid of telephone calls, El Mencho and a ample contingent of cartel gunmen arrived and ordered nan Mexican authorities to merchandise their captives. Oseguera was mini — opinionated hardly 5 feet 6 pinch “the build of a jockey,” Flores said, but “confident and fearless.”

In a little standoff pinch Mexican rule enforcement, Flores said, Oseguera had told nan main Mexican official: “We’re each going to do this nan correct way, aliases we’re each going to die.”

The twins were released, and Oseguera sent them connected their measurement pinch a convoy of sicarios — hitmen — for safekeeping. At that clip he was only a section chieftain, but Flores said was not amazed that Oseguera later went connected to shape his ain cartel.

“He ruled pinch unit and fear,” Flores said. “He didn’t conscionable want to beryllium nan boss, he wanted nan world to cognize he was nan boss.”

Times unit writers Kate Linthicum and Patrick McDonnell contributed to this report.