Who is El Mencho? Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes Bio: Children, Age, Parents, Net Worth, Height, Death
Biography
Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, better known by his alias El Mencho, was a notorious Mexican drug lord and the founder and longtime leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organizations.
Born on July 17, 1966, in a rural area of Aguililla, Michoacán (in the Tierra Caliente region), he grew up in poverty, dropping out of school early to work in fields including avocado and marijuana cultivation.
Trending Now!!:
In the 1980s, he migrated illegally to the United States (California), where he was arrested multiple times on drug-related charges, served prison time, and was deported back to Mexico twice. After returning to Mexico, he briefly worked as a police officer in Jalisco before fully entering organized crime.
He rose through the ranks of the Milenio Cartel before splitting off to co-found the CJNG around 2009–2010. Under his leadership, the cartel expanded rapidly, becoming a major player in trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and other drugs into the United States, while engaging in extreme violence, extortion, fuel theft, and attacks on rivals and authorities.
El Mencho was long considered one of Mexico’s most elusive and wanted fugitives, with the U.S. offering up to $15 million for information leading to his capture. He was indicted multiple times in the U.S. for drug trafficking and related crimes.
He was killed on February 22, 2026, at age 59, during a Mexican military operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco. He sustained gunshot wounds in clashes and died while being transported to Mexico City for medical treatment. His death triggered immediate waves of retaliatory violence across parts of Mexico.
| Mexican drug lord | |
| El Mencho | |
|---|---|
| |
| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Real Name: | Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes |
| Stage Name: | El Mencho |
| Born: | 17 July 1966 (age 59 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Tapalpa, Mexico |
| Died: | 22 February 2026 (age 59 years), Tapalpa, Mexico |
| Nationality: | Mexican |
| Education: | N/A |
| Height: | 173 cm |
| Parents: | Miguel Oseguera Cervantes, Jacoba Cervantes |
| Siblings: | Juan Oseguera Cervantes, Miguel Oseguera Cervantes, Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, Marín Oseguera Cervantes, Abraham Oseguera Cervantes |
| Spouse: | Rosalinda González Valencia (m. 1996–2018) |
| Girlfriend • Partner: | Not Dating |
| Children: | Rubén Oseguera, Jessica Johanna Oseguera González, Laisha Michelle Oseguera González |
| Occupation: | Drug Lord |
| Net Worth: | $500 million (USD) |
Early Life & Education
Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mencho, was born on July 17, 1966 (some sources cite 1965) in the poor rural village of Culotitlán, within the municipality of Aguililla, Michoacán, Mexico, in the rugged Tierra Caliente region known for its avocado orchards and illicit crops.
Raised in extreme poverty as one of six brothers in a family of humble avocado farmers, his parents, Miguel Oseguera Cervantes and Jacoba Cervantes, worked tirelessly in the fields to support the household.
Like most families in rural Michoacán at the time, they were steeped in the traditional Roman Catholic faith that shaped community life, with church festivals, baptisms, and daily prayers forming a core part of daily existence.
His brothers—Juan Oseguera Cervantes, Miguel Oseguera Cervantes, Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, Marín Oseguera Cervantes, and Abraham Oseguera Cervantes—grew up alongside him, sharing the hardships of farm labor; several would later follow paths into organized crime.
Nemesio‘s ethnicity was typical of a Mexican mestizo, blending Indigenous and European roots common among the region’s campesino families.
His education was minimal—he left primary school after the fifth grade, around age 11, to help harvest avocados and, by 14, was already guarding marijuana plantations in the hills to contribute to the family’s income.
This tough, rural upbringing in a region plagued by limited opportunities and the pull of the drug trade profoundly influenced his later trajectory, leading him to migrate illegally to the United States in the 1980s.
Career
After being deported from the United States in the mid-1990s, following several arrests on drug charges and a 1994 conviction for conspiracy to distribute heroin that led to about three years in federal prison, El Mencho returned to Mexico.
He briefly worked as a police officer in towns like Tomatlán and Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco, but soon left law enforcement to fully enter organized crime. He joined the Milenio Cartel, also known as the Valencia Cartel, which was allied with the Sinaloa Cartel under leaders like Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel.
Starting out as a drug dealer and hitman, El Mencho quickly rose through the ranks due to his ruthlessness and organizational skills. He became an enforcer and plaza boss, protecting cartel leaders and managing methamphetamine production and distribution, which were in high demand.
Around 2009 and 2010, the Milenio Cartel split after Nacho Coronel was killed in 2010, and the leader, Óscar Orlando Nava Valencia, known as “El Lobo,” was captured. The group broke into rival factions: “Los Torcidos,” led by El Mencho, and “La Resistencia.”
A violent conflict followed for control of Jalisco and nearby areas. El Mencho‘s group won and rebranded as the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) around 2010 or 2011, often working with the money-laundering network Los Cuinis.
Under his leadership, CJNG grew from a small regional group into one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organizations within a decade. The cartel expanded across states like Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, and Guanajuato, trafficking methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and especially fentanyl, which they produced in secret labs and smuggled into the United States.
The group also got involved in extortion, fuel theft, migrant smuggling, and large-scale money laundering. CJNG became known for extreme violence, including public displays of mutilated bodies, attacks on security forces, such as shooting down military helicopters with RPGs, using explosive devices and drones, and aggressively expanding into rival territories.
This violence led to thousands of deaths and made the cartel a major force in Mexico’s drug war. By the 2010s and 2020s, El Mencho was one of the world’s most wanted fugitives. The United States indicted him several times for drug trafficking and offered a record $15 million reward for information leading to his capture.
He avoided arrest for years by keeping a low profile, relying on heavy security and corruption networks, and running operations from a distance. His leadership ended on February 22, 2026, when Mexican military forces, with help from U.S. intelligence, found him in Tapalpa, Jalisco.
He was fatally wounded in a shootout and died on the way to medical treatment in Mexico City at age 59. His death immediately led to violent retaliation by CJNG members in several states.
Personal Life
El Mencho (Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes) was 59 years old when he died on February 22, 2026 (born July 17, 1966). He stood approximately 5’8″ (173 cm) tall with a stocky build, according to long-standing U.S. government descriptions.
He married Rosalinda González Valencia (known as “La Jefa”) in 1996, a union that strategically allied his rising influence with the powerful Los Cuinis financial clan. The couple legally separated in 2018, though authorities believe their family ties continued to support cartel operations.
Rosalinda had previously been involved with Armando Valencia Cornelio before dating and marrying El Mencho after his return from the United States; beyond this relationship, he maintained an extremely low public profile with virtually no known dating history.
Together, they had three children: son Rubén Oseguera González (“El Menchito”), who served as second-in-command before receiving a life sentence in the U.S. in 2025; daughter Jessica Johanna Oseguera González (“La Negra”), who managed cartel-linked businesses and faced her own legal troubles; and daughter Laisha Michelle Oseguera González.
Rosalinda also had a son from a prior relationship, Juan Carlos Valencia González (“El Pelón”), who became part of the extended family circle.
His life was defined by controversy, from orchestrating unprecedented levels of cartel violence—including the 2015 downing of a military helicopter, widespread beheadings, and the use of drones and explosives—to flooding the United States with fentanyl and methamphetamine, actions that earned him the title of one of the world’s most wanted men and a $15 million U.S. reward.
The arrests and convictions of his wife and children only added to the public scrutiny of his criminal empire.
He was fatally wounded by gunfire during a Mexican military operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco, on February 22, 2026. After sustaining multiple gunshot injuries in the clash, he died while being airlifted to Mexico City for emergency treatment.
Net Worth
Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho, the late leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), had an estimated personal net worth of at least $500 million, with credible intelligence suggesting it could exceed $1 billion.
This assessment stems primarily from a 2019 statement by DEA agent Kyle Mori, who headed the team pursuing him, in an interview with Univision: “I would say he has at least $500 million, and it could even exceed $1 billion.”
These figures—still widely cited in reports following his death in February 2026—reflect profits from massive-scale drug trafficking (especially methamphetamine and fentanyl), extensive money laundering, real estate holdings, legitimate business fronts (such as restaurants, malls, and tequila brands), and other illicit revenue streams under his control.
Precise numbers remain elusive due to the opaque, cash-based nature of cartel finances and ongoing seizures by authorities. For context, the Mexican government estimates placed the CJNG’s total organizational assets in the range of $50 billion, underscoring the immense economic scale of the empire El Mencho built and directed for over a decade.
His personal fortune, accumulated through ruthless expansion and diversification, positioned him among the wealthiest criminal figures in modern history.
What People Ask
NOTICE!! NOTICE!! NOTICE!!
At TheCityCeleb, we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date biographies and entertainment news, focusing on celebrities. Our editorial team researches information from reputable sources, including interviews, official statements, and verified media.If you spot an error or have additional details, please contact us at editor@thecityceleb.com. We value your feedback and are committed to maintaining trustworthy content.
