Mexico Took Down Drug Lord 'El Mencho' By Tracking His Girlfriend

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho", was captured and killed by Mexican authorities after intelligence tracking linked him to one of his romantic associates, according to officials.​The leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was killed during a security operation conducted with assistance from the United States government on February 22. Oseguera Cervantes allegedly trafficked large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the United States.

According to Mexico’s Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla, intelligence officers identified a trusted associate and connected to a romantic partner of Oseguera Cervantes before the raid. Agents determined the woman traveled to a resort in Tapalpa, where El Mencho and his gang were located, Trevilla said, according to the New York Post.

​Trevilla said the exact location was confirmed by “very important additional information” provided by U.S. intelligence.

Authorities carried out the mission after years of planning and surveillance by Mexican and U.S. officials. After the woman left the resort, Oseguera Cervantes and his men reportedly remained inside the compound when the Mexican army launched the operation.

As troops moved in to capture him, heavily armed cartel members opened fire, triggering a gun battle that spread into nearby wooded areas. Trevilla said ground forces conducted the raid with limited helicopter support to avoid detection.

​Four cartel gunmen were killed during the clash. Three others, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died while being transported to a hospital. Authorities have not released information about the woman who allegedly helped guide troops to Oseguera Cervantes. “The intelligence process is very complex,” Trevilla said, according to the New York Post.

​After the operation, cartel members retaliated by setting vehicles on fire and launching attacks against security forces across eight states. Witnesses recorded plumes of smoke rising over cities, including Guadalajara, and air traffic was disrupted.

​Even the U.S. Department of State Consular Affairs issued a warning for Americans in Mexico to shelter in place until further notice because of “ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity”.

Oseguera Cervantes was married to Rosalinda González Valencia, and the couple had three children. One of their sons, Rubén Oseguera González, was considered by the Mexican authorities to be the cartel's second-in-command before his arrest in 2014.

Rubén Oseguera González was released from prison multiple times because of insufficient evidence, but authorities re-arrested him on separate charges on each occasion.

In May 2018, González Valencia was arrested in a money laundering case. She was later released on bail and continues to face criminal proceedings. Oseguera Cervantes and Valencia separated in 2018.​