‘El Mencho’ assumed the leadership of the CJNG at the beginning of the decade of 2010when the organization emerged after the fragmentation of the Millennium Cartel. From the beginning, he was its top operational and strategic boss, consolidating a vertical and highly armed structure that combined territorial control and accelerated expansion, as well as a kind of personality cult of someone who did not appear in public. There are very few photos where this boss appears.
between the 2015 and 2018analysts specialized in security issues began to consider the CJNG as the most powerful criminal organization in Mexico. That rise was due to his violent armed actions with which he displaced rivals, he also resorted to strategic alliances with local groups and a rapid international expansion in the trafficking of methamphetamine and fentanyl. So, Under the command of ‘El Mencho’, the group went from being a regional organization in Jalisco to a criminal network with continental reach.
A bus set on fire by organized crime groups in response to the operation in Jalisco that ended in the death of Nemesio Oseguera, alias El Mencho, leader of the CJNG. (Photo by Ulises Ruiz / AFP).
/ ULISES RUIZ
Regarding its presence in Mexicobased on the most recent reports from February 2026, it can be assured that the CJNG has cells in practically the entire territorysince it operates in 29 of the 32 federal entities.
This expansion was one of the reasons why ‘El Mencho’ was classified for years as the most influential drug trafficker in Mexico, which is why he became one of the most wanted criminals in the world. For information about his capture, the United States offered 15 million dollars.
The United States offered 15 million dollars for alias El Mencho. (AFP).
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‘El Mencho’ was killed on Sunday in a confrontation with the Mexican army. The general Ricardo Trevilla TrejoSecretary of National Defense (Sedena), reported on Monday that the drug trafficker was located by military intelligence after he met with his partner in Tapalpa, state of Jalisco, on February 20. He also acknowledged that there was data provided by the United States to find the drug boss.
Trevilla He indicated that the woman left the property a day later. Later, intelligence information was obtained indicating that ‘El Mencho’ remained in a cabin in Tepalpa, surrounded by a security circle.
Then, with the precise information, a plan for the operation was designed and an operational structure made up of army special forces and of the National guard, supported by aircraft of the Mexican Air Force.
The general explained that the operational force moved to Él Mencho’s hideout with the aim of arresting him, but the criminals opened fire. The drug boss was wounded and died while being taken to a hospital.
After his death they registered blockades, vehicle fires and shootings in several Mexican states, generating panic and flight cancellations. At least 25 members of the National Guard and 30 criminals died in these events.
About the consequences of the death of ‘El Mencho‘and the future of the CJNG, The Commerce spoke with Victor Manuel Sanchez Valdesresearch professor at the Autonomous University of Coahuila, doctor in public policies from CIDE and student of organized crime, criminal groups and their effects in Mexico.
Víctor Manuel Sánchez Valdés, specialist in organized crime in Mexico.
—What could the death of its top boss mean for the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel? Does it definitely weaken it?
It’s early to say. It is the largest criminal organization in Mexico, so the dejection of its leader does not automatically imply an implosion or dismantling. What it can generate is a power vacuum that opens internal disputes that may or may not be managed quickly. At this moment we cannot know.
—Will this power vacuum necessarily translate into more violence?
If managed quickly, violence levels will not increase significantly. But in the different scenarios where the dispute expands and is not resolved quickly, this can generate a very complicated scenario of violence. Because? Because Mexico is divided into 32 federal entities or regions, and in 29 of the 32 this cartel has a presence. On Sunday, in 22 of the 32 states there were violent events such as drug blockades, shootings, burning of vehicles, businesses, etc. So, that shows us that it is an organization that has national coverage, so an escalation of violence may not have a precedent in the Mexican context.
Aerial photograph showing columns of smoke after violent reactions due to the death of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. (EFE/ STR).
— As the structure of this cartel was configured, then an automatic rearrangement cannot be expected, is there no natural successor to ‘El Mencho’?
It is not so clear that there is an internal natural succession. You cannot expect automatic relief. Although there are figures with power within the structure—such as regional commanders and those responsible for strategic areas—that does not guarantee internal discipline. Some might become insubordinate.
Yes, there is a person who could be said to be close to ‘El Mencho’, Juan Carlos Valencia González, alias ‘El 03’who is his stepson. You could say he is the most natural candidate for succession. But that does not mean that different regional heads will accept this succession without question. There are other actors who have been sounding, such as Audias Flores Silva, alias ‘The Gardener’which is the regional leader with the greatest territorial coverage, with areas in the states of Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit, Zacatecas, Guerrero and Morelos. It is also Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán, alias ‘El Sapo’who is in charge of all port logistics and synthetic drug production. It is responsible for the transfer of chemical precursors from China to Mexico, through ports such as Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas. another is Heraclio Guerrero Martínez, ‘Uncle Lako’, which is the main person responsible for the theft of fuel, what is known in Mexico as huachicol fiscal. This Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, the ‘Double R’that is in charge of the operation in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, the most important area of the CJNG. Among those five characters, leadership would have to emerge. Or the organization could also split if there is a dispute between some of them.
A member of the Guadalajara Fire Department tries to put out a burning vehicle this Sunday in Guadalajara, Mexico. (EFE/ Francisco Guasco).
– In what way ‘El Mencho’ maintained the cohesion of the CJNG, which has not broken up as happened, for example, to the Sinaloa Cartel?
Unlike other cartels, including the Sinaloa cartel, this organization had never lost its boss. ‘El Mencho’ was in charge practically from its creation. That allowed its expansion process. All regional and plaza heads owed their positions directly to Nemesio Oseguera. It was a vertical structure where decisions passed through his command. Furthermore, he knew the business from below: he operated in Los Angeles, United States, where he sold drugs. He returned to Mexico and worked with other organizations in the production and transfer of drugs, and rose in the Millennium Cartel, when he was still working together with the Sinaloa Cartel. This is how he learned all the components of this illicit business.
Young people pass in front of the window of a police station with bullet holes in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, on February 23, 2026, one day after the clashes. (Photo by Ulises RUIZ / AFP).
/ ULISES RUIZ
—What else could the government do to hit the CJNG? For example, are you attacking your financial structure, your front businesses that allow you to launder money?
Yes, there have been some financial blows. Vessels that illegally entered fuel into Mexico have been seized. A few days ago, their scam network was hit, where this criminal organization was selling timeshares, that is, accommodations fraudulently. The part of the organization that launders money has been hit. However, the flow of resources to the group is so great that these hits are not significant. And what we hope is that the Government does not remain alone in the dejection of ‘El Mencho’, but that it concentrates on the next echelon of the structure, to try to bring as many of its commanders to justice to dismantle it. Although I recognize that this is easier said than done, and will take time.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during her daily press conference at the National Palace on February 23, 2026. (Photo by YURI CORTEZ / AFP).
/ YURI CORTEZ
— There was talk of the participation of the United States in the operation. What implications does that have for the relationship with President Donald Trump on the anti-drug issue?
Authorities from both countries confirmed the cooperation of the United States in the intelligence device that was behind the operation. This is a great achievement for Mexico, at the end of the day he is the leader of the largest organization and perhaps the most important blow of the last 10 years. Not only will it help strengthen and consolidate the image that Mexico is producing results in the area of organized crime, but it will also foster greater bilateral collaboration with the United States in anti-drug matters.
— Could the violence seen on Sunday be sustained over time? Will there be similar episodes?
No. Such a large coordinated deployment will not necessarily be repeated consistently. But it is likely that there will be sustained increases in violence in areas where internal ruptures occur or where there is a greater presence of competitors. In those places, crimes—especially homicides—will tend to increase.
