Nemesio Rubén "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes was the boss of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico's two biggest gangs. A former policeman, he was 59 years old at the time of his death.
Over the two decades since the gang's emergence, El Mencho built a criminal enterprise that covered almost all of Mexico, with an array of business lines and a penchant for brutality. He was Mexico's most wanted person and a top target for the United States because he trafficked drugs into the country, including deadly fentanyl. The State Department had offered a $15m reward for information leading to his capture.
On February 22nd 2026 Mexican special forces captured El Mencho in his home state of Jalisco. The government said he subsequently died from wounds sustained during the shoot-out. Six other gangsters were also killed in the firefight; it is unclear whether they were members of the cúpula, CJNG's top brass, or mere bodyguards. Among the weapons found in his safe-house were rocket launchers capable of shooting down aircraft and destroying armoured vehicles. The operation was supported by American intelligence but carried out by Mexican special forces. El Mencho had escaped previous attempts to capture him.
The violence following his death was almost immediate: gangsters carried out attacks in at least 15 states, setting fire to buses and banks and blocking roads, and some 60 people were killed.
I didn't believe in reincarnation in any of my other lives. I don't see why I should have to believe in it in this one.