Mexican security forces announced the killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes , known as “ El Mencho ,” founder and leader of the Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) cartel, the most feared criminal gang in the country.
The news was confirmed after hours of tension in the state of Jalisco, caused by the launch of army operations.
El Mencho was accused by the US Department of Justice and Mexican authorities of drug trafficking and organized crime.
Born in 1966, Oseguera Cervantes was included by the US administration on the list of most wanted criminals, with a reward of millions of dollars for information leading to his arrest.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) describes the CJNG as one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico.
According to the agency's public reports, the group has used military tactics, high-caliber weapons and propaganda strategies to increase and consolidate its power. A $15 million reward was placed for its capture.
Brian McKnight, head of the US DEA, had described Cervantes as the new " public enemy number one ", capable of controlling 80% of the drugs arriving in a city like Chicago and a third of all narcotics imported into the US (cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl).
According to McKnight, El Mencho was a ruthless billionaire killer, head of the Mexican cartel that broke away from El Chapo's Sinaloa group, had created drug trafficking routes on six continents and had a stronghold in Chicago, according to DEA investigators.