El Mencho: The Rise and Fall of a Cartel Leader
El Mencho, whose real name is Nemesio Ruben Oseguerra Cervantes, began his journey as a petty drug dealer in San Francisco. He lived there for many years after being deported in the 1980s and 1990s, ultimately becoming the top target in one of Mexico’s most notorious criminal organizations.
Born in the 1980s to Ruben Avila and Jose López Prieto, El Mencho experienced a tumultuous youth. Reports suggest he spent significant time dealing drugs in San Francisco, but he was arrested and deported in 1989. He was taken into custody by San Francisco police in 1986 for possession of stolen goods and firearms, with a rather stoic expression captured in his booking photo.
Following his deportation, he returned to Mexico where he helped on his parents’ avocado farm. However, he managed to cross back into the U.S. multiple times until he returned to San Francisco in 1989, where law enforcement was somewhat lenient about drug-related activities.
Later that same year, El Mencho was arrested again, this time for drug trafficking. By 1992, he had made his way back to the Bay Area, where federal authorities apprehended him for selling heroin. It was reported that he and his brother, Abraham, were overheard negotiating a drug deal at a local bar.
After serving a three-year prison sentence, he was deported once more and settled in Tomatolan, Jalisco. He joined the Milenio Cartel but eventually defected, which led to the rise of the equally ruthless Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
The recent killing of Oseguera Cervantes by Mexican authorities has ignited a wave of violence across at least 20 of Mexico’s 31 states. In response, the U.S. State Department has imposed a curfew in tourist areas, including Puerto Vallarta. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has made a public appeal for peace, emphasizing the need to ensure safety for all citizens in the wake of El Mencho’s death.
“The most important thing now is to guarantee peace and security to the entire population of all of Mexico,” she stated in her first comments since the incident.
