CJNG Maintains Power in Quintana Roo Under Regional Leader ‘El Negro’

Quintana Roo — The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has maintained its command and operational structure in Quintana Roo following the death of its leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes “El Mencho,” but experts warn the organization faces potential fragmentation due to its decentralized model.

A federal report obtained by Diario Cambio 22 confirms Francisco Hernández Jiménez, known as “El Negro,” as the regional plaza boss for Quintana Roo. His operational force and predominant presence are concentrated in the state’s northern municipalities.

The report also documents his association in southern Quintana Roo with the criminal group Los Chapitos of the Sinaloa Cartel, specifically in rural areas of Bacalar and Othón P. Blanco municipalities. This de facto alliance centers on control of clandestine airstrips used to receive aircraft loaded with South American cocaine.

In northern tourist municipalities, CJNG operations thrive due to high drug consumption among the millions of tourists who visit annually. The cartel maintains significant presence in Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos (including the Ruta de los Cenotes and Leona Vicario), Lázaro Cárdenas (particularly Holbox), Benito Juárez (Cancún’s urban zone), Cozumel, and Isla Mujeres.

The Elusive ‘El Negro’

According to federal investigations, the regional plaza boss known as “El Negro” is a discreet man. Authorities have not released a photograph or physical description.

He maintains an extensive payroll of Quintana Roo politicians and officials, primarily police chiefs, which has allowed him to consolidate power in the region and become one of CJNG’s main regional bosses due to his effectiveness and leadership.

Among the significant factors cementing his position within the criminal organization, investigators attribute to him the intellectual authorship of the murder of Tulum’s Public Security Secretary, Captain Marino José Roberto Rodríguez Bautista, which occurred on March 20 last year.

Diario Cambio 22 reported at the time that after suffering an attack along with his escort, Rodríguez Bautista died in the early hours of Saturday, March 21. During the armed attack on Friday night, the official received six gunshot wounds and was transported to a Playa del Carmen hospital, where his condition was reported as critical. His escort, a navy member, was also injured in the attack, along with one criminal. Another sicario died at the scene during the confrontation.

Expert Analysis: A Fragile Structure

Dr. Víctor Manuel Sánchez Valdés, a security specialist, notes that CJNG is not as centralized as other cartels. Its expansion was based on a criminal franchise model, incorporating local gangs and remnants of weakened organizations like the Zetas or Knights Templar.

“That accelerated growth created a monster with many heads,” Sánchez Valdés said. “Now, without the unifying leadership of ‘El Mencho,’ the risk that these cells will act independently again is real and tangible.”

Factors That Could Trigger Rupture

• Franchise Expansion Model: Local gangs that adopted the CJNG brand but maintain their own logic and traditions
• Overly Extensive Territory: Divided among regional and plaza bosses with power, resources, and autonomy
• Business Based on Municipal Control: Long-lasting relationships with corrupt authorities that strengthen local leaderships

The result is a cartel with strong regional leaders capable of challenging unity and launching power disputes.

Potential Changes in the Powerful Cartel

The range of possible scenarios is broad: from a few dissatisfied leaderships to a massive breakup that divides the organization into several factions. The only certainty is that the succession process will not be peaceful.

CJNG, which once boasted discipline and expansion, now faces its toughest test: surviving without “El Mencho.”