Small-time drug dealer in San Francisco
Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," was a small-time drug dealer in San Francisco before rising to become the leader of one of Mexico's most brutal criminal organizations. Law enforcement records show he illegally crossed the border multiple times in the 1980s, using aliases such as Rubén Ávila, José López Prieto, and Miguel Valadez.
According to Rolling Stone and Univision, "El Mencho" lived in San Francisco for many years despite being deported in 1989. In 1986, San Francisco police arrested him for possessing stolen property and carrying a loaded firearm. A mugshot from the time shows a 19-year-old man with a blank expression. He was then deported to Mexico—where he had previously worked on his family's avocado farm.
Multiple arrests and deportations
He returned to the U.S. multiple times. In 1989, he was arrested again for selling drugs and subsequently deported. By 1992, he appeared in the Bay Area and was apprehended by federal agents for heroin trafficking. Wiretap records documented a conversation between him and his brother Abraham about a deal to sell 5 ounces of heroin for $9,500 at a San Francisco bar. After serving three years in prison, he was deported once more and returned to Jalisco, Mexico.
From Milenio Cartel to CJNG
There, he joined the Milenio Cartel, an organization that later disintegrated and paved the way for the rise of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The CJNG rapidly expanded into a global trafficking network operating in most of Mexico.
Chaos after El Mencho's death
"El Mencho's" death on Sunday during a Mexican military operation sparked a wave of chaos in at least 20 of Mexico's 31 states. The U.S. Department of State issued a shelter-in-place advisory for Puerto Vallarta and several other areas. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called for stability, emphasizing the priority of ensuring nationwide security for the populace.
