Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as 'El Mencho' and leader of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), died on February 22, 2026, during a federal operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco. The confrontation took place in a cabin at the Tapalpa Country Club complex, where evidence of his presence was found, including medications and a religious altar. The Fiscalía General de la República confirmed his identity through DNA tests the following day.
On February 22, 2026, Mexican Army special forces, coordinated by the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia and the Fiscalía General de la República, with U.S. support, conducted an operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco, aimed at capturing Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, 'El Mencho'. The CJNG leader was hiding in a private cabin at the Tapalpa Country Club complex, located in an exclusive wooded area about 90 kilometers from Guadalajara. During the confrontation, seven CJNG members died, including Oseguera, who succumbed to severe wounds during his aerial transfer to Mexico City on a military plane.
In the cabin, authorities found a stocked refrigerator with milk, Silk almond milk, coconut nectar, Heinz and French’s sauces, jams, La Costeña chiles, cookies, sodas, fruit, Bimbo bread, and carrots, along with plates of food remnants and coffee-stained cups, indicating recent occupancy. They also discovered medications like Tationil Plus 3000 mg, an injectable glutathione antioxidant not standard for renal insufficiency, a condition reported in 2025 by Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch. An altar with images of the Virgen de Guadalupe and San Judas Tadeo included a handwritten letter of Psalm 91, dated January 25, 2026, invoking divine protection: “Though a thousand fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right, you will remain unscathed.”
The complex, sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2020 under the Kingpin Act for alleged CJNG money laundering linked to his family circle, is not part of the hotel but private residences. 'El Mencho' relied on three protection circles: scouts for surveillance, elite hitmen, and institutional networks. The operation triggered violence, with 18 road blockades, vehicle fires, and clashes in Jalisco and states like Michoacán and Guanajuato, killing at least 25 National Guard members and over 30 CJNG affiliates.
Oseguera's body arrived in Mexico City that afternoon and remains in federal custody. The FGR identified it via DNA on February 23. Family members like wife Rosalinda González or daughters Jessica and Laisha can claim it; otherwise, per the Código Nacional de Procedimientos Penales, it could be buried in a common grave after forensic tests, as explained by lawyer Iñaki Blanco. A viral audio blaming model María Julissa for betrayal was debunked as fake, generated by artificial intelligence with 99% probability according to Truth Scan.
