Without “El Mencho,” A New Armed Wing Springs Up Within the CJNG Every Month

Six months after the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes—”El Mencho,” the long-time leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)—the criminal organization he founded in 2009 has begun a rapid implosion.

A review by MILENIO regarding the emergence of new armed factions reveals that between the kingpin’s death on February 22 and August 22 of this year, a new CJNG-linked criminal cell has publicly surfaced on average every 30 days, seeking to establish itself under a different name. This reflects an attempt to break away from the criminal brand of the former trafficker, who was born in Aguililla, Michoacán.

The first armed faction came to light on April 18—just 55 days after El Mencho’s death—when Fabián Gómez Calcáneo, Colima’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, announced the dismantling of a criminal group that had originated within the CJNG but was already identifying itself by a different name: “Los Cobra.” This group was linked to the murder of a state police officer and the double homicide of the owners of the well-known local bakery “El Pichón,” which took place on April 14.

Prior to the announcement, Los Cobra didn’t appear in any public databases tracking criminal groups—such as those maintained by the Drug Policy Program at the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE) or the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). Nor did they appear on the Security Cabinet’s private lists of criminal cells in Mexico, to which this media outlet has had access.

The criminal organization is composed mostly of individuals from outside the region.

A second armed faction that emerged following the cartel’s decapitation also appeared in Colima—specifically on July 8. Personnel from the Navy, in coordination with the State Police, reported the arrest of six individuals initially sought as members of the CJNG; however, following their arrest, they identified themselves as “Los Jalipa”—a name coined by the community near the port of Manzanillo, which served as their stronghold.

The Los Jalipa group consisted of young men and women aged 19 to 38, hailing from both the city of Colima and Guadalajara. For years, they had operated under the banner of the “four-letter cartel” (CJNG), but they changed their designation following the death of “El Mencho.”

“This could be a strategy to mitigate risks regarding the United States. If I am identified as part of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel—which is already designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO)—then by splintering off or separating, I no longer fall under that definition,” notes Saulo Dávila, a security and political risk consultant.

“The logic might be to distance oneself from the risk of being financially ‘strangled’ or having to operate while under the scrutiny of two governments: that of the United States and that of Mexico,” the expert adds.

New Factions Emerge in Tlaxcala and Zacatecas

A third armed faction appeared 800 kilometers east of Colima, in Tlaxcala. There, the Navy (Secretaría de Marina) once again brought months of intelligence work to fruition by arresting a key instigator of violence identified as David Daniel—alias “El Jarocho”—who was wanted as a CJNG regional boss (*jefe de plaza*).

The investigation had begun weeks prior to his arrest, when Navy personnel—acting on information from the National Intelligence Center and alongside agents from the Attorney General’s Office (FGR)—executed a search warrant at a property in the municipality of Ixtacuixtla de Mariano Matamoros. During the raid, they seized nearly a ton of cocaine, six long guns, ammunition, and tactical gear.

After following up on the seizure in Tlaxcala, Navy personnel located “El Jarocho.” However, he no longer identified as a member of the cartel founded by “El Mencho,” but rather as the leader of his own criminal group: “Los Jarochos” (or “Los Hotwheels”). This group had begun expanding into Puebla, Hidalgo, and Oaxaca—states where the CJNG has a presence but lacks total dominance. A push to conquer new territory.

A fourth, more established group is “Comando F-Z.” Previously known in Zacatecas simply as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), in recent weeks it has attempted to establish its own distinct criminal brand on social media. It is a splinter group that gained momentum after February of this year, positioning itself as a rival to “La Mayiza” in Zacatecas municipalities such as Jerez, Valparaíso, Fresnillo, Río Grande, and Guadalupe.

The group gained national notoriety this Monday when alleged members claimed responsibility for a car-bomb attack on the Municipal Police headquarters in Ojocaliente, Zacatecas. Seven people were injured and 13 vehicles were damaged in the blast, including two patrol cars.

The X profiles associated with that armed wing have attempted to establish a distinct identity for the group without losing sight of its past. It is a blend of the old and the new: while they interchangeably use names like “F-Z Nueva Generación” or simply “the four letters,” they no longer chant the old battle cry “We are Señor Mencho’s people!” nor do they recycle the logos that, until last year, marked their pickup trucks and tactical uniforms.

“There are individuals who may have had a good relationship with Nemesio Oseguera but not necessarily with Juan Carlos Valencia [the CJNG successor] or Gonzalo Mendoza, who holds the organization’s number-two spot. These individuals might be seeking independence by capitalizing on internal disputes,” observes Víctor Manuel Sánchez Valdés, a public security specialist.

“Such processes carry risks; those breaking away from the group face the danger of being crushed by its machinery. To some extent, this was to be expected, as leadership shuffles at the top empower some while undermining others—particularly local interests that evolve into criminal cells controlling specific territories,” adds Sánchez Valdés, who is also a researcher at the Autonomous University of Coahuila.

The groups that do not recognize ‘El Mencho’s’ heir

A fifth group represents a splinter within a splinter: a cell of the Comando F-Z itself—which currently lacks a visible leader—that has moved into the small municipality of Villanueva, Zacatecas. There, it seeks independence and aims to forge its own dark legacy under the name “Operativa 501” (Task Force 501)—a name reportedly inspired by the elite legion of soldiers commanded by Darth Vader, the villain from the *Star Wars* film saga.

According to a military source in Zacatecas—who requested anonymity for safety reasons—Operativa 501 is a group of hitmen who had previously sworn loyalty to ‘El Mencho’ but don’t recognize the leadership of his stepson, Juan Carlos Valencia (known as ‘El 03’ or ‘El Pelón’). Rather than openly rejecting him and facing the consequences of a rebellion, they have chosen to pursue autonomy, concentrating their efforts in Villanueva and the surrounding areas on extortion rackets—specifically, demanding protection money—and land seizures.

“In Zacatecas, there are only two major criminal groups: the CJNG and ‘La Mayiza.’ For these splinter groups, the figure of ‘El Mencho’ was the only thing binding them to the Jalisco faction. Without him, they have lost their identity. What we know so far is that they have opted for a ‘third way’—much like in political parties—to distinguish themselves from the dominant groups and craft their own narrative,” the source stated.

The military source also identified a sixth and final armed faction that has broken away—or is seeking to break away—from the old CJNG structure: a splinter group known as “La Raya,” operating along the border with San Luis Potosí.

According to the information provided, La Raya was an amalgam of survivors from the collapse of Los Zetas and outcasts from the Cartel del Noreste, all seeking control over drug and arms trafficking routes leading to the north of the country. In the absence of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the group drew strength from former loyalists of “El Mencho”—figures who, at that critical juncture, felt excluded from plans for criminal succession.

The CJNG is following the script its leader wrote while ill and anticipating his own death: even if the head is severed, the body will continue to sprout new limbs.

Source: Milenio