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Top 5 Mexican drug lords still at large after El Mencho’s killing
After El Mencho's killing, here are 5 of Mexico’s most prominent drug lords still at large.
Mexico on Sunday carried out a massive security operation in the western state of Jalisco, including Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. During the operations and raid, the military captured drug lord Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, also known as 'El Mencho'.
According to Mexico’s defence ministry, Oseguera was seriously injured in a shootout and died during an air transfer to Mexico City. His killing triggered violent reprisals across several states, with vehicles torched, highways blocked by armed men and airport operations disrupted. Schools were shut in parts of the country as authorities urged residents to remain indoors.
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Even as one of the country’s most powerful cartel leaders was brought down, several other high-profile traffickers remain at large.
Here’s a look at 5 of Mexico’s most prominent drug lords:
Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar
Ivan Archivaldo, along with his brother Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, is believed to share leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel following the imprisonment of their father, Joaquín Guzman Loera. The brothers are accused of overseeing fentanyl trafficking operations. The US has announced a $10 million bounty on each of them.
Juan Jose Esparragoza Moreno
Also known as “El Azul”, Esparragoza has long been linked to the Sinaloa Cartel and previously to the Guadalajara and Juarez cartels. He is wanted for allegedly importing 14 tons of marijuana into the US and was placed on the US “Kingpin list” under the 2002 Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act.
Although reports claimed he died of a heart attack in 2014, US authorities continue to list him as wanted, offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
(Also Read: El Mencho, El Chapo, El Mayo: How drug lord captures in Mexico trigger violence)
Juan Reyes Mejía-Gonzalez
A key facilitator for the Gulf Cartel, Mejía-Gonzalez is accused of coordinating cocaine shipments from Central and South America into Mexico and along border cities such as Nuevo Laredo and Reynosa. The US State Department is offering $5 million for information about him.
Fausto Isidro Meza Flores
Known as “Chapo Isidro”, Meza Flores leads the Meza-Flores Transnational Criminal Organisation. The group has allegedly engaged in gun battles, kidnappings, torture and extortion to control key drug routes and manufacturing sites. The US is offering up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest.
(Also Read: ‘Seek shelter, avoid crowds’: India issues advisory amid clashes, violence in Mexico)
Edgardo Leyva-Escandon
A longtime member of the Arellano-Felix Organisation, Leyva-Escandon served as a sniper and weapons supplier for the cartel. Following the 2006 capture of cartel leader Javier Arellano-Felix, he disappeared and remains a fugitive. The US State Department is offering up to $2 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
