Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes was not born a capo. His story is that of a man who knew how to take advantage of the betrayals of his bosses to build, from the ashes, the most violent criminal empire in Mexico’s recent history.
With the confirmation of his death, one of the darkest chapters of national security comes to a close. But how did a young man from a humble town in Michoacan become the most wanted man by the US government? Here is a profile of El Mencho.
Origins: From the field to the frontier
🔴#URGENTE | Cuartoscuro agency photographs show CJNG members displaying the strength and firepower they have in Aguililla, Michoacán, the municipality where Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as “El Mencho,” was bornhttps://t.co/4Ygg8dXfqo pic.twitter.com/MOHxj29Vrb
– SinEmbargo (@SinEmbargoMX) July 4, 2021
Born in 1966 in the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes grew up in a family of avocado growers.
However, poverty pushed him to the border.
In the 1980s, he was arrested in California for selling heroin and deported several times.
It was in those youthful years that he learned how the black market worked in the neighboring country, a lesson he would apply decades later.
The policeman who became a criminal
#ElFinancieroTV | Nemesio Oseguera, alias “El Mencho,” in the 1990s was deported from the United States, joined the Jalisco police and later became involved with drug trafficker Armando Valencia Cornelio.
📺: @OmarCepedaCastr pic.twitter.com/5yh6hD4P5g– El Financiero (@ElFinanciero_Mx) February 24, 2026
Upon his return to Mexico, El Mencho tried to lead a “straight” life and joined the ranks of the municipal police in Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco.
But the call of easy money was stronger.
He soon joined the Milenio Cartel, where he not only climbed the ranks due to his cold blood, but also sealed his fate by marrying Rosalinda Gonzalez Valencia, a member of “Los Cuinis,” the financial arm that would provide economic support to his future organization.
The birth of the monster: “Los Mata Zetas”.
Following the capture of his bosses and the fragmentation of the major cartels, Oseguera Cervantes saw his opportunity.
Under the name “Los Mata Zetas,” his group began to gain ground in Jalisco.
What began as an armed wing for the Sinaloa Cartel soon became independent to form the Jalisco Cartel – New Generation (CJNG).
Their strategy was clear: extreme violence and propaganda.
El Mencho was the first to use social networks to show off his military might, with armored convoys and weaponry that looked like something out of a formal war.
The DEA’s number one enemy
First, who was El Mencho?
Born in 1966 in Aguililla (Michoacán), former rural policeman from Jalisco, US record for heroin (deported).
2007-2010: leads Los Mata Zetas (arm of Sinaloa against Zetas).
2010: fracture of Cártel del Milenio → CJNG is born as Los… pic.twitter.com/FiodnpYBnX– BELLUMARTIS (@bellumartis) February 22, 2026
For the DEA, El Mencho became an obsession.
Under his command, the CJNG expanded its operations to five continents and pioneered the trafficking of fentanyl, the crisis that is now unveiling the White House.
With a $10 million reward, Nemesio Oseguera surpassed the likes of El Chapo Guzman in terms of danger due to his hierarchical structure and lack of mercy against the authorities.
His fall marks the end of an era, but his legacy of violence and the structure he left behind keep Mexico in a state of total uncertainty.
Filed under: El Mencho Profile
