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Mexican authorities confirmed on Saturday the return of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as “El Mencho,” to his family.
The notorious drug lord was killed by the Mexican army last week, officials stated. The Attorney General’s Office, in a brief note posted on X, announced the handover after all necessary procedural protocols had been completed.
“Genetic tests were carried out to confirm that there were indeed blood ties between the person who requested the release and the deceased,” the organ said.
The killing of the country’s most powerful drug lord was met with a wave of retaliatory violence in some 20 states. More than 70 people were killed.
The violence has fueled fears that the bloodshed could hurt tourism ahead of the FIFA World Cup later this year.
The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which he ran, is one of the most powerful and fastest growing criminal organizations in Mexico and began operating around 2009.
In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.
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Newspapers hang on display for sale in Mexico City, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, a day after the Mexican army killed Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.” (AP Photo/Jon Orbach) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
The drug lord’s death was the Mexican government’s biggest prize yet to show the Trump administration in its efforts to crack down on the cartels.
In ‘El Mencho’s’ last redoubt, a crucifix, saint candles and a handwritten psalm
Items found inside the final redoubt in Jalisco state of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” revealed a side to the feared cartel boss few would have imagined: his religious fervor.
The house inside an exclusive subdivision in southern Jalisco state contained a crucifix, as well as a makeshift altar with religious figurines of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Saint Jude Thaddeus and Saint Charbel Makhlouf, along with votive candles with images of saints.
In the backyard, images of the Virgin and Saint Jude were carved into large rocks.On Sunday, Mexican special forces encircled Oseguera Cervante s and captured him after a firefight on the outskirts of Tapalpa. T
he leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel died en route to hospital, authorities said.I
mages of the house’s inside captured by local media showed a handwritten copy of Psalm 91, which Catholics often invoke to ask God for protection from danger, fear and adversity.There were also letters, apparently written to Oseguera Cervantes and addressing him familiarly, that made reference to St. Jude, who has a following among criminals, drug users and the marginalized in Mexico.
