Mexican drug kingpin Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as “El Mencho,” may be dead, but the criminal empire he spent years building has proven it was designed to survive far beyond the life of its founder.
For months, questions surrounded who would ultimately seize control of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), one of the most violent and sophisticated criminal organizations operating in the Western Hemisphere. Now, newly announced sanctions from the U.S. Treasury Department appear to confirm what some independent investigators had been reporting since shortly after El Mencho’s death.
According to federal officials, the cartel is no longer centered around a single dominant figure. Instead, investigators say it is being directed by three senior leaders who have assumed control of different parts of the organization while working together to preserve its operations.
