What Happened To El Mencho’s Highest-Ranking Hitmen After His Death?
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After El Mencho’s Death: The Fate of the CJNG’s Deadliest Hitmen
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For more than a decade, one man ruled the most feared criminal empire in the Western Hemisphere without ever stepping into the spotlight.
While other cartel bosses flaunted their wealth on social media or gave interviews to journalists, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes did the opposite.
He operated like a ghost.
No flashy videos.
No public speeches.
No media appearances.
Yet his influence stretched across continents.
As the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, El Mencho commanded an organization with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 members, operating in over 40 countries.
The cartel controlled massive drug production networks, moved billions of dollars in narcotics, and maintained heavily armed paramilitary units capable of confronting government forces.
For years, intelligence agencies in Mexico and the United States hunted him relentlessly.
Then, in February 2026, the man who seemed untouchable was finally brought down.
But the real question began after his death:
What happened to the men who carried out his most violent orders—his highest-ranking hitmen?
The Raid That Ended the Ghost King
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On the morning of February 22, 2026, Mexican special forces launched a high-risk operation in the mountains near Talpa de Allende, roughly 80 miles southwest of Guadalajara.
For years, authorities had chased rumors of El Mencho’s whereabouts through rural villages, jungle hideouts, and mountain compounds.
This time, the intelligence was precise.
According to security sources, the location was discovered after authorities tracked the movements of a woman who had visited the cartel leader’s hideout.
It was a familiar pattern in the history of high-profile manhunts: follow a trusted courier or companion.
The strategy that helped locate Osama bin Laden years earlier would now expose one of the world’s most powerful drug traffickers.
Before dawn, Mexican troops surrounded the compound.
Gunfire erupted almost immediately.
Cartel bodyguards opened fire with military-grade weapons. Special forces returned fire as helicopters circled overhead.
When the shooting ended, several cartel gunmen lay dead.
El Mencho himself had been seriously wounded.
Authorities captured him alive and rushed him onto a military helicopter headed toward Mexico City.
But he never made it.
The cartel kingpin died during the flight.
The most wanted drug lord in the Western Hemisphere was gone.
A Cartel That Behaved Like an Army
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The death of El Mencho did not simply remove another criminal leader.
It shook an organization that had grown into something resembling a paramilitary force.
The CJNG’s enforcement arm consisted of elite hitmen known as sicarios.
These fighters were far from ordinary gang members.
Many were trained in camps that reportedly used:
military tactics
advanced weapons training
drone warfare
surveillance technology
Some recruits were even trained by former special forces soldiers or foreign mercenaries.
The cartel’s arsenal included armored vehicles, heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, and drone-mounted explosives.
In several confrontations with Mexican authorities, CJNG fighters had demonstrated a level of firepower comparable to military units.
But the real strength of the cartel lay in its leadership network.
At the top was El Mencho.
Below him was a tightly controlled circle of commanders, hitmen, and regional bosses who carried out his orders.
When he died, the future of that network suddenly became uncertain.
Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán: The Enforcer Known as “El Sapo”
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Among the most feared figures in the CJNG hierarchy was Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán.
Within cartel circles, El Sapo was considered more than just a hitman.
He was a strategist, recruiter, and trainer.
Authorities believed he oversaw several of the cartel’s most brutal operations.
His responsibilities allegedly included:
supervising sicario training camps
coordinating extortion operations
managing fuel theft networks
acquiring chemical precursors used to manufacture fentanyl and methamphetamine
El Sapo also controlled key operations in Puerto Vallarta, one of Mexico’s major tourist destinations and an important logistics hub.
Investigators linked him to a notorious ranch outside Guadalajara where recruits were reportedly forced to participate in executions as part of their initiation.
Human remains and hundreds of personal belongings were later discovered at the site, turning it into one of the most disturbing cartel crime scenes in recent years.
When El Mencho died, many analysts believed El Sapo would become the cartel’s next leader.
But reports soon emerged suggesting he may have been killed during the same raid that ended El Mencho’s life.
Authorities have not fully confirmed his fate.
If true, the cartel lost both its leader and its most capable successor in a single operation.
El Laco: The Brother Who Remains in the Shadows
Another powerful figure in the CJNG enforcement network is Heraclio Guerrero Martínez, believed to be the brother of El Sapo.
Unlike his sibling, El Laco focused heavily on regional control.
He operated primarily in the violent Tierra Caliente region of western Mexico.
His responsibilities included overseeing:
fuel theft operations known as huachicol
sicario training programs
enforcement of CJNG territorial control
Fuel theft from government pipelines has become one of the cartel’s most profitable criminal enterprises, generating hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Despite the crackdown that followed El Mencho’s death, El Laco reportedly remained active.
Security analysts believe he may attempt to consolidate power among remaining CJNG factions.
El 85: The Co-Founder Now Behind Bars
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One of the most influential figures in CJNG history is Erick Valencia Salazar.
El 85 helped establish the cartel in its early years after splitting from the Milenio Cartel.
He played a crucial role in building the organization’s international trafficking routes and early enforcement structure.
However, by the time El Mencho died, El 85 was already out of the picture.
In 2025, he was extradited to the United States to face federal drug trafficking charges.
He is now believed to be serving a long sentence in a high-security prison.
His imprisonment removed one of the cartel’s founding architects from the leadership equation.
Tony Montana: The Brother in U.S. Custody
The cartel’s inner circle also included El Mencho’s brother, Antonio Oseguera Cervantes.
Tony Montana was responsible for coordinating armed convoys and overseeing trafficking operations across several Mexican states.
He was also linked to cocaine and methamphetamine shipments moving through Central America.
But like El 85, he was already neutralized before El Mencho’s death.
In 2025, Mexican authorities extradited Tony Montana to the United States as part of a major anti-cartel operation involving dozens of suspects.
From a prison cell in the U.S., he has little ability to influence the cartel’s future.
El Jardinero: The Lieutenant Still in the Game
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Among the most dangerous figures still active is Audias Flores Silva.
El Jardinero commands elite armed units within the cartel.
He has been linked to several large-scale attacks against rival organizations and Mexican security forces.
More importantly, he reportedly played a role in brokering cooperation between CJNG and factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
This alliance helped expand CJNG’s influence across northern Mexico and strengthened its trafficking routes into the United States.
As of early 2026, El Jardinero remained active and was widely viewed as a potential contender for leadership.
Ricardo Ruiz Velasco: The Military Commander
Another powerful figure is Ricardo Ruiz Velasco.
He reportedly commands some of the cartel’s most heavily armed units.
Authorities have linked his forces to:
drone bombings
highway ambushes
attacks on rival cartel positions
His control over elite fighters makes him a crucial ally—or rival—for anyone attempting to lead the organization.
The Heir: Juan Carlos Valencia González
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Perhaps the most important surviving figure is Juan Carlos Valencia González, El Mencho’s stepson.
Unlike many other commanders, El Pelón carries the family name, which matters deeply in cartel culture.
He reportedly managed key drug routes sending narcotics into the United States.
Because those routes generate billions of dollars in revenue, controlling them means controlling the cartel’s financial lifeline.
The U.S. government has placed a $5 million bounty on information leading to his capture.
Despite the pressure, intelligence reports suggest he is attempting to consolidate support among CJNG commanders.
The Violence After the King Fell
In the hours following El Mencho’s death, chaos erupted across western Mexico.
Cartel gunmen launched coordinated attacks in multiple states.
Authorities reported:
burning vehicles blocking highways
attacks on police and National Guard units
armed clashes in several cities
Airports temporarily suspended flights.
Tourist regions were locked down.
The cartel had a name for this strategy.
They called it “calentando la plaza”—heating up the territory.
The purpose was simple:
Send a message that even without their leader, CJNG could still paralyze an entire region.
The Future of the Cartel
History suggests that the death of a cartel leader rarely ends the organization.
When Joaquín Guzmán was captured, the Sinaloa Cartel fractured into competing factions.
Similar power struggles have occurred across Mexico whenever a cartel loses its leader.
Some analysts believe CJNG could follow the same path.
Regional commanders may fight for territory and profits.
Others argue the organization’s strong structure may allow a smoother transition.
Either way, the violence could intensify.
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The War That Continues
El Mencho’s death was a major victory for law enforcement.
But it did not end the drug trade.
The networks he built still exist.
Drug production continues.
Trafficking routes remain active.
Billions of dollars continue to flow through laundering operations on both sides of the border.
The cartel may have lost its king.
But its army remains.
And somewhere in the mountains of western Mexico, the next generation of sicarios is already preparing for the battles ahead.
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