He's the most powerful drug kingpin you've never heard of, J. Todd Scott, special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Louisville Field Division, told The Courier Journal in June: "There’s been stockpiling of drugs and money on both sides of the Southwest border.". The cartel's sophisticated firepower is used throughout Mexico to protect its billion-dollar empire built on a steady flow of highly addictive drugs into the U.S. The security analyst and others are waiting to see how the new administration of President-elect Joe Biden impacts the opioid crisis, relations with Mexico and, ultimately, the fight against the cartels like CJNG. "El Mencho," a top U.S. target in charge of a ruthless cartel empire, remains on the run but not unscathed. I have no doubt that El Mencho will be caught, but the violence won’t end until the Mexican government gets serious about strengthening the rule of law and ending corruption. CARTEL kingpin El Mencho is even more brutal than El Chapo and may never be captured as he hunkers down surrounded by a private army protecting his $1billion empire, a … In 1994, the US District Court for the Northern District of California sentenced him to three years in prison for conspiracy to distribute heroin. "But if the weapons continue coming to Mexico, cartels will keep sending drugs to the U.S.”. Agents have taken precautions, including wearing masks, but continue drug busts and arrests. The police chief vowed in a tweet from his hospital bed not to back down: "This morning, we were cowardly attacked by the CJNG (Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación). © 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. El Mencho grew up in a relatively low-income family, and he back then cultivated avocados. El Mencho, who moved to Guadalajara, rose through the ranks of Milenio and expected to be rewarded with the top position. More:Meet the man behind crusade to stop global cartel powerhouse that's a top American threat. It has been a year since The Courier Journal published a special report introducing the billionaire drug lord "El Mencho" and his Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación, to readers, including its startling reach into small-town America. During a coordinated attack across the nation March 11, federal agents and police served more than 100 search warrants on 250 targets and confiscated 600 kilograms of drugs. Some news articles reported he was likely hospitalized for … El Mencho must exist because without him, the logic of la guerra contra el narcotráfico falls apart. Background: Who is El Mencho? Luego se habló en círculos de seguridad de su posible muerte por enfermedad. How to say El Mencho in Spanish? The DEA launched "Project Python," targeting CJNG in the last quarter of 2019. Information and translations of Mencho in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Some news articles reported he was likely hospitalized for kidney failure under a fake name in the state of Jalisco, right under the noses of DEA agents stationed in its capital city of Guadalajara. Read this: Key cartel witness found dead before drug agents could fly him to U.S. On June 3, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced a partnership with the U.S. that freezed more than $1.1 billion in CJNG's assets during "Operation Blue Agave.". The anti-money laundering unit of Mexico's Ministry of Finance worked with the DEA to target nearly 2,000 men, women and companies linked to the cartel. "But we will have succeeded in holding this person accountable for what they've done to our communities. Unlike their fugitive father, La Negra and her brother were born in the U.S., giving them dual citizenship — but also making them vulnerable to this plan of attack. The U.S. overdose death toll for 2019 is estimated at 72,000 and is on pace for a further spike in 2020, according to provisional data by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seems like this was a power move or a warning sign to El Chapo and Los Chapitos of what El Mencho is capable of. El Mencho has a $10 million bounty on his head. McKnight said "probably 90%" of the drugs in Chicago are coming from Mexico. He had five brothers. He has some alternative aliases, which are “Rubén Acerguera Cervantes,” “Lorenzo Mendoza,” “Nemecio,” and “Nemesio Oseguera Ramos.” It was reported that his birth-name was Ruben, and he changed his name to Nemesio in the memory of his grandfather. Copyright © 2021 CBS Interactive Inc.All rights reserved. Last year, more than 67,000 Americans died from an overdose. But Almada, known as "El Chicken" for his small neck and large head, was found hanging in a Mexican jail cell in March. In May, federal sources confirmed that El Mencho's brother-in-law, Gerardo González Valencia, a member of the wealthy Mexican cartel Los Cuinis, was extradited from Uruguay to the U.S. to face federal drug trafficking charges. Carlos Almada Castrillo, head of CJNG operations in Guadalajara, could have been a key witness for U.S. prosecutors as they work to topple the global drug empire. In real life Mr Guzmán is serving a life sentence in a Colorado … Instead, he moves frequently through his stronghold states of Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán and always stays in the Sierra Madre mountains. It showed off an army of cartel soldiers driving tanks and firing automatic machine guns powerful enough to down aircraft and repeatedly shouting support for El Mencho. El Mencho stepped up after the 62-year-old Joaquin Guzman (above), also known as El Chapo, head of the Sinaloa Cartel and considered the most powerful drug lord in … Two friends of mine lost their lives. He's the most powerful drug kingpin you've never heard of, Meet the man behind crusade to stop global cartel powerhouse that's a top American threat, A ruthless Mexican drug lord’s empire is devastating families with its grip on small-town USA, "Project Python," targeting CJNG in the last quarter of 2019, Agents in Kentucky take aim at violent drug traffickers, cartel leader's daughter, Jessica Johanna Oseguera Gonzalez, known as "La Negra," was also charged, extradited from Uruguay to the U.S. to face federal drug trafficking charges. But El Mencho himself remains on the run, despite the U.S. offering a $10 million reward for help capturing him. That includes the mysterious deaths of CJNG leader Rubén Oseguera Cervantes' trusted underlings in Mexico and the arrests across the U.S. of his children and hundreds of his followers. Rumores sobre la muerte de El Mencho, líder del CJNG. In a rare case led by the DEA, she is charged with her involvement in five businesses blacklisted by the U.S. Treasury Department for affiliations with CJNG. Ironically, he lived in California some 30 years ago, where he was arrested on drug charges and eventually deported back to … According to an April 2015 press releasefrom the US Treasury Department, he has been significantly involved in drug trafficking activities since the 1990s. Rubén Oseguera Cervantes aka El Mencho and his … "At the end of the day, El Mencho will be captured, and there may be somebody else" emerge as the next top drug threat, Bodner said. Experts said it's likely Almada would have known a lot of cartel secrets. The Courier Journal published a special report, Who is El Mencho? "The U.S. government has significant resistance in applying effective gun control," Saucedo said. That makes sense if it is a nickname. Why Americans should care about Mencho:A ruthless Mexican drug lord’s empire is devastating families with its grip on small-town USA. The nationwide operation culminated in a March 2020 arrest blitz of more than 700 CJNG members or associates. Widespread rumors of El Mencho's death continued to circulate throughout Mexico in 2020. Made In The Fucking USA Cut and Sew Premium 20 Singles Jersey Custom Stitching Custom Embellishments Please allow up to 72 hours for your item to be shipped. Back in Chicago, the Mexican drugs seized are so toxic, they can't be handled without protective gear. Stream CBSN live or on demand for FREE on your TV, computer, tablet, or smartphone. Chicago — Just after sunrise on Chicago's West Side, CBS News watched the morning rush for drugs. El Mencho is one of the most wanted drug lords in Mexico with a $10 million bounty on his head. Harfuch was headed to a daily security briefing with the mayor when shooters blocked the roadway and trapped his black SUV, which was peppered with bullets at 6:30 a.m. on the popular avenue Paseo de la Reforma in the Miguel Hidalgo municipality. Santiago Nieto Castillo, chief of the Mexican Finance Ministry's Financial Intelligence Unit, issued a statement saying his unit froze bank accounts belonging to 1,770 people and 67 companies, and two escrow accounts linked to the cartel. Bill Bodner, special agent in charge of the DEA's Los Angeles Division, told The Courier Journal this month that he remains convinced the collapse of the cartel and the capture of El Mencho are imminent, and that the lead investigator, Special Agent Kyle Mori, has "a fire" and won't relent. Juan, Miguel, Marin, Abr… His two bodyguards and a bystander were killed. Known as “El Mencho,” he lived in the U.S. illegally in the 1980s and served three years in prison there for selling drugs, before being deported to Mexico in 1997. And CJNG remains strong, still finding ways to saturate America with deadly drugs despite a pandemic that has driven up meth prices and forced travel restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border, making it harder for drugs and drug profits to move without detection. DEA agents say they believe the cartel kingpin is in hiding in a remote area of Mexico, not hospitalized or dead. El Ejército y la Guardia Nacional en estado de alerta, mientras se confirma la información. According to DEA Agent Kyle Mori, El Mencho may be more difficult to arrest than El Chapo ever was. Watch CBS News anytime, anywhere with the our 24/7 digital news network. CJNG posted a video that went viral in July in the United States with millions of views on social media in what some say was the cartel's response to Harfuch's tweet calling out the cartel two weeks earlier. Los Cuinis is an affiliate of CJNG led by several brothers of El Mencho's wife, Rosalinda. From shooting down a Mexican Army helicopter, killing six, to being implicated in a public hanging this summer, El Mencho protects his empire with impunity. El Mencho is the head of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación, thought by some experts to be both the richest and the deadliest drug cartel in Mexico. This is true, but I wonder why El Mencho kidnapped Los Chapitos when he must have known that his son was in a prison surrounded by CDS members. El Mencho's Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, or CJNG, is responsible for at least a third of the drugs entering the U.S. by land and sea. That's where he started the violent cartel. By Jonathan Dienst, Pete Williams and Rich Schapiro The daughter of the alleged Mexican drug cartel boss known as "El Mencho" was arrested in Washington while trying to … On the hunt for Mexico’s next-generation narco Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” is on a fast rise to becoming the most dominant in Mexico. A bounty for El Mencho is up to $10 million. Almada is one of three high-ranking members of CJNG to die under suspicious circumstances before officials could secure their extraditions to the U.S. That's three dead witnesses, which illustrate the difficulty in bringing down CJNG. Something else worth pointing out is the recent banners of "CJNG" featuring images of the purported leader of the organization. Unlike Guzmán, El Mencho avoids cities. El Mencho, as a state within a state, with the ability to wander such arsenal with impunity. Since then, there have been many unexpected developments in the case. Mexican drug kingpin "El Chapo" sentenced to life in prison by federal judge, Deadly fentanyl bought online from China being shipped through the mail, California Privacy/Information We Collect. Se dijo primero que había sido abatido. El Mencho Wanted for the following alleged federal violations. Thanks for your input. That's because he grew up with the cartel leader's son, Menchito, and remained part of his inner circle, according to a retired DEA supervisor who once participated in the hunt for El Mencho. 2 of the global drug network and was expected to one day take the reins from his father. Previously: Why a viral drug cartel video showing off tanks and taunts is bad news for the US. © 2021 www.courier-journal.com. All rights reserved. — Héctor de Mauleón (@hdemauleon) June 12, 2020 Brian McKnight with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) showed what was going on in broad daylight. In Netflix narco-dramas, Joaquín (El Chapo) Guzmán, the former boss of the Sinaloa drug gang, is the country’s chief mobster. The son of one of the United State's most sought-after fugitives, a billionaire drug cartel boss known as "El Mencho," has been extradited from Mexico … He has helped uncover dozens of El Mencho drug labs in the jungle. "Menchito," or "Lil' Mencho," had been No. Last year in Chicago, almost 800 people died from drug overdoses. "He has got an enormous amount of weapons, RPGs, 50 caliber weapons. In a big personal blow against El Mencho, the U.S. finally secured the extradition of the cartel leader's son, Rubén Oseguera González, in February to Washington, D.C., after three years of court battles. He told The Courier Journal this month that the steps taken by President Donald Trump and the Mexican president have largely been "cosmetic measures, low profile measures.". … I've noticed recently that the public figure in question is often refered to as "Mencho," to "El Mencho." In an ambush blamed on CJNG, Mexico City Police Chief Omar Hamid García Harfuch was seriously injured June 26 in a shooting in a wealthy neighborhood. Cartel violence has led to thousands of murders in recent years. "He's identifying the people responsible and making an attempt to hold them accountable for what they've done to our communities.". Indeed, El Mencho has seemed to learn from the mistakes of his high-profile predecessor, remaining a shadow in an already dark underworld. "He is the number one priority for DEA and frankly for federal law enforcement in the United States," said Matthew Donahue, the DEA's top agent in Mexico. Looks like El Mencho might be sneeringly derived from mensch. The DEA is focused on a Mexican drug lord named Nemesio Cervantes, known simply as El Mencho. "He is the one that is responsible for sending the poison that is actually killing innocent women and kids," Donahue said. El Mencho invests more in paramilitary equipment than El Chapo. Bullets pierced Harfuch's shoulder, clavicle and knee. ", "CJNG is not being dismantled, it's spreading out," said David Saucedo, a Mexico City-based security analyst. Menchito maintains his innocence on gun and drug charges that could land him 15 years or longer in a federal prison if convicted. The latest challenge from a drug dealer to a fragile country that repeats that it is “no longer at war.” “Hugs, not bullets,” the president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, repeats like a mantra. 'El Mencho' Wants to Replace 'El Chapo' and He's Killing Mexican Cops at Will. According to the Department of Justice, the cartel has trafficked "tons" of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl-laced heroin. Also: Agents in Kentucky take aim at violent drug traffickers. Beth Warren: bwarren@courier-journal.com; 502-582-7164; Twitter @BethWarrenCJ. Following his release, he returned to Mexico, where he s… Ironically, he lived in California some 30 years ago, where he was arrested on drug charges and eventually deported back to Mexico. Key cartel witness found dead before drug agents could fly him to U.S. freezed more than $1.1 billion in CJNG's assets, CJNG posted a video that went viral in July in the United States, Why a viral drug cartel video showing off tanks and taunts is bad news for the US, death toll for 2019 is estimated at 72,000, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Widespread rumors of El Mencho's death continued to circulate throughout Mexico in 2020. The grim discovery was made after locals in Jalisco state – where El Mencho’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is based - complained of … To lessen the financial blow, cartels have inflated the price of drugs, especially meth, according to drug agents across the country. El Mencho’s CJNG is now at war with the Sinaloa Cartel which El Chapo once led, as well as the upstart Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel. According to statistics from the Mexican government, there are approximately 94 homicides per day. – DesdeCuando Mar 5 '20 at 11:56. The group has dramatically escalated its shows of … El Mencho is from the Tierra Caliente region of the western state of Michoacán. He basically has his own SWAT teams," Donahue said. The US Drug Enforcement Administration believes that Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” the leader of Mexico’s Jalisco Cartel New Generation and the main target of both US and Mexican… The School of Terror: Inside a Jalisco Cartel Training Camp in Mexico EL MENCHO / 13 JUN 2019 The cartel likes to use social media to spread fear an intimidation. "The Mexican government doesn’t have the men, weapons or even the resources to face the drug cartel," he said. He was arrested in Mexico and extradited to the United States in 2017. Saucedo pointed to the flow of guns from the U.S. into Mexico, arming cartels with military-grade rifles — including .50-caliber weapons that can down aircraft. Three arrests were in Louisville and two more suspects were nabbed en route to the Derby City. "They're responsible for deaths in the United States, homelessness, violent crime, property crime in the United States," Bodner said. CJNG leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho," is one of the most wanted men by both Mexico and the United States; the latter has offered a … At the lab, packs of cocaine are stamped with trafficker brands. The cartel leader's daughter, Jessica Johanna Oseguera Gonzalez, known as "La Negra," was also charged with federal crimes in Washington, D.C., in February, when she came from her home in Mexico to the U.S. to see her brother in court. Pronunciation of El Mencho with 1 audio pronunciation, 14 sentences and more for El Mencho. El Mencho was born on July 17, 1966, in the rural community of Naranjo de Chila, which is in Aguililla, Michoacán, Mexico. Now, another kingpin is looking to take his place as the most notorious in the nation. More than a third can be traced back to El Mencho's cartel. Adriana Diaz is a CBS News correspondent based in Chicago and is the anchor of Saturday's edition of the "CBS Weekend News.". The 27-year-old's death is likely a murder disguised as a suicide to prevent him from testifying in the U.S., both a senior DEA official and a Mexican political analyst told The Courier Journal. The Brutal Rise of El Mencho With El Chapo behind bars, an even more dangerous drug lord has emerged. El Mencho has a $10 million bounty on his head. Together, the two powerhouses have teamed to launder money and traffic drugs. Track the progress. Our nation must continue to confront the cowardly organized crime.". The Courier Journal's Thanksgiving 2019 report, following a nine-month investigation, detailed the devastation caused when El Mencho's network stretched across much of the U.S. from major cities like Seattle, Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta and Chicago to unexpected places like Lexington; Hickory, North Carolina; Johnson City, Tennessee; Mobile, Alabama; and tiny Axton, Virginia. Lenin RamirezBendecido℗ 2018 DEL Records, Inc.Released on: 2018-04-20Auto-generated by YouTube. What does Mencho mean? So, when someone's child dies, Donahue said there's "a good chance" those drugs came from El Mencho's organization.