Following the Death of “El Mencho,” the Jalisco Cartel Loses Territory But Maintains Its Power

The fight against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel didn’t end with the killing—six months ago—of its founder and leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.” 

Mexico and the United States are maintaining an unprecedented offensive against this criminal group. Fourteen high-ranking figures have been taken down or imprisoned, and a $25 million bounty has been placed on the new leader, “El Pelón.” 

Amilcar Salazar Méndez reports on the events of the six months following El Mencho’s fall. Like other criminal organizations, the Jalisco Cartel is a hydra—a monster with a thousand heads; even when the main one is severed, new ones grow in its place, a fact the authorities fully understand. 

Two days after Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes’s death, “El Tuli”—his financial operator—was taken down in Tapalpa, Jalisco. Next came “El Jardinero,” his security chief in Nayarit, and “El Güero Conta,” his primary money launderer in Zapopan. 

They were joined by “El Checo,” the lead hitman in California; “El Chipo,” another financier; and “R1,” the operative who controlled half a dozen municipalities in Michoacán. 

Washington didn’t halt the hunt either, identifying the names and faces of the new leadership. At the helm is Juan Carlos Valencia González—known as “El Pelón”—El Mencho’s stepson. 

Shadowing him is “El Sapo,” the security chief. Below them are “El Chorro” (the founder’s son-in-law and a methamphetamine and cocaine trafficker), “La Tripa” (a fentanyl expert), and the founders of the “Elite Group,” known as “El Tarjetas” and “La Firma.” Yet, the “Four-Letter Cartel” is losing not only leaders but also territories; a total of 60 areas are currently in dispute. 

Six states have turned into war zones for the group: Michoacán, with over 20 municipalities contested against “Los Viagras” and “Cárteles Unidos”; Zacatecas, where the Sinaloa Cartel is wresting away the southern corridor; Colima, with the port of Manzanillo at stake; and Baja California, where Tijuana, Mexicali, and Ensenada have become battlegrounds. 

U.S. pressure is also reflected in the revocation of visas for 65 of the cartel’s associates and family members. OFAC sanctioned over 50 individuals and companies and uncovered multi-million dollar timeshare fraud schemes in Puerto Vallarta. 

In U.S. courts, “El Mencho’s” brother, Tony Montana, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges, and a money launderer, Daniel Giordano, admitted to moving millions of dollars in cryptocurrency for the organization; the blows keep coming. 

On Wednesday, federal forces struck a blow in Michoacán against the network of Heraclio Guerrero—known as “Tío Lao”—a regional leader of the Jalisco cartel. According to federal sources, the offensive aims to dismantle the criminal group in the medium term. 

Source: Milenio