*Rewards are available at the discretion of the U.S. More recently, El Mencho and the CJNG are battling a number of rivals. Or email the tip line: For now, however, he has eluded authorities in both Mexico and the United States. © 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The DEA is focused on a Mexican drug lord named Nemesio Cervantes, known simply as El Mencho. Stream CBSN live or on demand for FREE on your TV, computer, tablet, or smartphone. Click here to send InSight Crime your comments. The School of Terror: Inside a Jalisco Cartel Training Camp in Mexico, The Sinaloa Cartel’s ‘El Mayo,’ Mexico’s Last True Capo. In 1994, the US District Court for the Northern District of California sentenced him to three years in prison for conspiracy to distribute heroin. The CJNG’s principal enemies are the Zetas and Knights Templar, and the cartel has been accused of supplying weapons to self-defense groups who fought the Knights Templar in Michoacán. Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” is the leader and founder of the Jalisco Cartel – New Generation (CJNG), and the man responsible for overseeing the once upstart criminal faction’s transition into one of Mexico’s most formidable cartels. Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias 'El Mencho', Investigation and Analysis of Organized Crime A lock ( An official website of the United States government. While the motive was unclear, Michel was the former mayor of El Grullo, a CJNG stronghold in Jalisco state where El Mencho reportedly moves around freely. Watch CBS News anytime, anywhere with the our 24/7 digital news network. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article. Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. The Nueva Plaza Cartel has not penetrated Guadalajara — the CJNG’s base of operations — but is exerting control over areas to the west and southeast of the city. In March 2013, a suspect in the murder of Jalisco’s Tourism Secretary Jesús Gallegos Álvarez said El Mencho had authorized the hit based on the suspicion that the official was working for the Knights Templar. Mexico has offered its own reward of 30 million pesos ($1.6 million). In May 2015, the CJNG also shot down a military helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade. "He has got an enormous amount of weapons, RPGs, 50 caliber weapons.

According to an April 2015 press releasefrom the US Treasury Department, he has been significantly involved in drug trafficking activities since the 1990s. Some Mexican media, citing intelligence information, have even suggested Gonzalez Valencia is in fact running the CJNG, contradicting the commonly held belief that El Mencho is the cartel’s top leader. El Mencho is also dealing with internal divisions within the CJNG. 21 USC 959, El Mencho, who moved to Guadalajara, rose through the ranks of Milenio and expected to be rewarded with the top position.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, provided that it is attributed to InSight Crime in the byline, with a link to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. LockA locked padlock The CJNG also allegedly works closely with the Sinaloa Cartel. In order to impede the work of the police and allow members time to flee, the cartel created dozens of roadblocks, setting fire to vehicles on key roads throughout the city.

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In central Guanajuato state, the group is fighting with the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, led by José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, alias “El Marro.” The CJNG is also at war with a splinter faction of the Zetas known as the Zeta Old School (Zetas Vieja Escuela), in addition to a splinter faction of the Gulf Cartel known as the Shadow Group (Grupo Sombra), focused on the state of Veracruz. Cartel violence has led to thousands of murders in recent years. 21 USC 924, United States 
Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Jurisdiction El Mencho uses Pacific routes to move drugs, importing cocaine from Colombia and ephedrine from China through the port of Manzanillo in Colima. Can Mexico’s Jalisco Cartel Win the Turf War for Michoacán? "He is the one that is responsible for sending the poison that is actually killing innocent women and kids," Donahue said. Indeed, El Mencho is featured on the most wanted lists of both the Mexican government and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Mexican drug kingpin "El Chapo" sentenced to life in prison by federal judge, Deadly fentanyl bought online from China being shipped through the mail. What are your thoughts? Additionally, El Mencho and Abigael González Valencia — the leader of the Cuinis criminal group — are brothers-in-law, resulting in a “close alliance” between the two, according to the US Treasury Department. So, when someone's child dies, Donahue said there's "a good chance" those drugs came from El Mencho's organization. According to an April 2015 press release from the US Treasury Department, he has been significantly involved in drug trafficking activities since the 1990s. or contact the nearest DEA office with information.

"He is the number one priority for DEA and frankly for federal law enforcement in the United States," said Matthew Donahue, the DEA's top agent in Mexico. From shooting down a Mexican Army helicopter, killing six, to being implicated in a public hanging this summer, El Mencho protects his empire with impunity.