El Mencho or Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, the feared leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed by the Mexican army on Sunday. The incident sparked a wave of unrest in Mexico as vehicles were torched and armed gunmen blocked highways across states.
Comparisons were drawn to when Pablo Escobar the head of the Medellin cartel in Colombia was taken down. Amid ongoing buzz about El Mencho, there's a lot of interest in his personal life including net worth and family. Here's all you need to know.
El Mencho net worth
An exact estimate of the late drug lord's net worth is not known. However, in 2019 the DEA had indicated that it might exceed $1 billion. An archived Univision report indicates DEA agent Kyle Mori, who was engaged in capturing the elusive crime boss say “I would say he has at least $500 million and it could even exceed $1 billion.”
While this reflects his personal wealth, some estimates put CJNG's asset valuation at tens of billions of dollars. However, these are estimates, and given that the cartel engages in illegal businesses, an exact calculation is not possible.
CJNG was noted as one of the major suppliers of cocaine to the US, with the DEA holding it at par with the Sinaloa cartel. CJNG also produces fentanyl and other methamphetamines as per reports.
El Mencho family
El Mencho is married to Rosalinda González Valencia, whose family Los Cuinis runs CJNG's financial arm. The two reportedly tied the knot in 1996 and reports indicate they were legally separated in 2018.
They have three children together – Rubén Oseguera González ("El Menchito"), Jessica Johana Oseguera, and Laisha Oseguera.
El Menchito is now convicted but was the second-in-command until a time under his father's setup. Jessica Johanna Oseguera González or “La Negra” handled some of her father's businesses but was put behind bars in 2021 for running El Mencho's sushi and tequila business.
Laisha Oseguera is another daughter and has been suspected of being invovled in cartel related activities as well. A 2021 Mexico News Daily report indicated that Laisha and her partner Christian Fernando Gutiérrez Ochoa were sought after two navy personnel were kidnapped from shopping center in Zapopan, Guadalajara, in what was believed to be retaliation after authorities arrested Rosalinda.
While no clear successor has been announced, El Mencho's children could be on the list of contenders to head CJNG.