Mexico Identifies Four Potential Successors to Jalisco Cartel Leader ‘El Mencho’

Mexico City — Mexican security chief Omar Garcia Harfuch announced Friday that authorities have identified four potential successors to lead the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) following the death of its leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.”

Speaking during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference, Harfuch said two of the four individuals are considered the most likely to take over leadership of the powerful criminal organization.

“We have identified several leaders, four specifically who are under investigation as the strongest leaders within this criminal group,” Harfuch said.

The security chief declined to name the potential successors, citing ongoing investigations. However, experts have previously mentioned several prominent CJNG figures as possible candidates.

Among those frequently cited are Juan Carlos Valencia González, stepson of Nemesio Oseguera known as “R3” or “03”; Audias Flores Silva, alias “El Jardinero,” identified as one of the cartel’s criminal bosses; Ricardo Ruíz Velasco, “El Doble R,” who controls the Guadalajara metropolitan area; and Heraclio Guerrero Martínez, “Tío Lako.”

Harfuch noted that violence has not spiked following El Mencho’s death, with highways returning to normal operation just two days after his killing.

Who Was Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes?

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes led the Jalisco New Generation Cartel for years, evading capture despite a $15 million reward offered by the United States for information leading to his arrest.

Before becoming one of Mexico’s most wanted men, Oseguera served as a police officer. In a relatively short period, he built the CJNG into a criminal empire that rivaled his former allies in the Sinaloa Cartel.

Oseguera diversified into illegal activities including fuel theft, forced labor, and human trafficking while maintaining relative anonymity. He gained notoriety through profanity-laced recordings leaked on social media where he threatened enemies and officials.

The cartel leader was known for spectacular escapes from law enforcement. In May 2015, as Mexican forces closed in on him, his accomplices shot down a military helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade to give him time to escape.

During a six-week period in 2015, the criminal group killed two dozen police officers in western Mexico as a warning to authorities.

In 2020, then-Mexico City Public Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch survived an assassination attempt that killed two of his bodyguards, an attack authorities attributed to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.