“El Mencho” Former Police Officer

Former Police Officer

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes better known by his alias “El Mencho,” rose to power from humble beginnings to becoming one of the most feared drug lords in the world and co-founder of the most powerful Cartel in Mexico Jalisco New Generation (CJNG).

“El Mencho” was born in 1966 in a small town in Michoacán, Mexico. He grew up in poverty before he ended up migrating to the United States. In the 1990s, he was arrested in California on drug related charges and later deported back to Mexico. After his return, he joined the local police forces in Jalisco where authorities state he built connections that later reflected his criminal organization.

From Police Officer To Drug Lord

“El Mencho” then associated himself with the Milenio Cartel, a drug trafficking organization that operated along the Pacific coast of Mexico. Following the cartel’s structure he went on to co-found the CJNG in 2010. He transformed the CJNG into a rapid and most fearful criminal organization. Under El Mencho’s leadership the CJNG gained a reputation for extreme violent attacks and publicly displayed the use of force. The CJNG also utilized digital platforms to broadcast issues that were a direct threat to any rivals.

Much More Than A Drug Empire

The CJNG did much more than a drug trafficking operation. They’ve also moved on to fuel theft, extortion, kidnapping and illegal mining. Since establishing their international drug distribution network, they’ve managed a way on to the United States, Europe and Asia. U.S. authorities have accused the CJNG of trafficking massive quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl that have contributed to the addiction crisis.

The U.S. government had placed a $15 million reward on El Mencho. The United States has placed one of the highest bounties ever offered for a Mexican drug lord. Despite multiple failed operations aimed for his arrest El Mencho has managed to evade authorities for years. He had become a symbol of the Mexican country’s struggle against organized crime.

El Mencho’s rise to power from being a former police officer to a drug lord highlights the deep corruption, violence and complications that have defined Mexico’s modern drug war.