Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho, was born on 17 July 1966 in Aguililla, Michoacan, Mexico. It is a village with poverty and high drug trafficking networks. Farmers of villages in Mexico have some local connections with small drug cartels. The drug smuggling rate is also high in Mexico, as the young public is also involved in this act. El Mencho also started smuggling in his teens. Prosecutors said he was involved in the heroin trade.

After a few years, he was arrested by the US, but he didn’t change in any way. After serving his prison sentence, he was sent back to Mexico, where he joined the Milenio Cartel. Mencho failed to become the leader of the Milenio Cartel. Eventually, after splitting from it, he declared war on the Sinaloa Cartel, a powerful cartel in Mexico and also a strong ally of the Milenio Cartel. Then in 2009, he founded his own cartel named “Jalisco New Generation Cartel” (CJNG; in Spanish, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación).

CJNG is a key supplier of fentanyl, due to which thousands of people have lost their lives. By expanding his network, El Mencho became the most wanted “drug lord” of Mexico. This cartel is known as the new generation, as it differs in structure from old cartels. CJNG is decentralized and extremely violent. Decentralization helps in the working of the cartel even if the leader is killed or arrested. El Mencho was killed on 22nd February 2026 by Mexican special forces. The cartel is still operating due to its decentralized structure.

Transnational Drug Trafficking Network of CJNG

Mexico’s geographic location benefits CJNG in drug trafficking. Mexico lies between North America and South America. It has access to the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This makes it easy to traffic drugs from the least risky route. CJNG is a transnational drug cartel. It operates on land, air, and sea routes. Through Mexico, drugs are transported to North and South America, Europe, and Asia. In short, CJNG transports drugs to the world. That’s why El Mencho was known as a “drug lord.”

Drug smuggling happens from Northern Mexico to the US. Through this porous border, 90-94% of drugs are exported easily, which includes cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. Fentanyl is also exported from Guatemala to the US via Mexico. Drug trafficking also happens from Jalisco, Colima, and Nayarit through the Pacific Ocean to California and Texas. Pacific Ocean shipping containers are used to transport drugs to Asian states. Ports........

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