For years, he was Mexico’s most-wanted fugitive, a ghost who controlled half the country’s drug trade from the shadows, shielded by a platoonof well-armed bodyguards.
But in the end, it was a girlfriend who led special forces to his doorstep.
The operation on Sunday, February 20 that killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes — “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) — unfolded over three days in the woods of Tapalpa, the popular Pueblo Mágico 75 miles west of Guadalajara. It ended with the capo’s body being diverted from Guadalajara to Mexico City, with authorities fearing that the cartel’s heartland would erupt if news of his death broke too soon. In the end, of course, it did just that.
According to Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, the chain of events began on February 20, when Mexican intelligence — working in coordination with U.S. agencies — located a trusted man linked to one of El Mencho’s romantic partners. That man transported the woman to a secluded property on the outskirts of Tapalpa, where she met with the capo. She remained with him overnight. When she left the following day, she was detained and confirmed to authorities that El Mencho was still inside, surrounded by his inner circle of security.
Within hours, Mexico’s special forces planned the operation.
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