CJNG in Crisis After El Mencho’s Reported Death Sparks Violence

Reports surrounding the fall of cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as “El Mencho,” have reignited global attention on the rise and power of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Once a local police officer in Michoacán, Oseguera Cervantes allegedly built one of the most feared criminal organizations in Mexico after breaking away from the Sinaloa Cartel in the early 2000s.

CJNG quickly rose to dominance through ruthless tactics and a massive synthetic drug trade, particularly fentanyl and methamphetamine, substances that fueled a multibillion-dollar pipeline into the United States. With multimillion-dollar bounties offered by both U.S. and Mexican authorities, El Mencho became one of the world’s most wanted figures.

Now, with reports of his death, questions loom over what comes next: a power vacuum, violent retaliation, or the emergence of an even more dangerous successor. As cartel dynamics shift, the ripple effects could impact border security, drug trafficking routes, and public safety on both sides of the border.