El Mencho, Mexico’s most wanted criminal and a notorious drug lord, is dead. Besides Mexico, he was one of the world’s most infamous cartel leaders, known as the feared head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNGC). Mencho, whose real name is Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, died Sunday, February 22, 2026, after being wounded during a massive Mexican military operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco. Within hours, cartel gunmen unleashed chaos across 20 states.
But how could the drug lord, who successfully evaded capture for more than a decade, finally be cornered? Well, it turns out that it was a “romantic partner” who exposed him before fleeing the scene. Let’s take a look at how a single tip from El Mencho’s alleged girlfriend became a critical clue in his manhunt.
What was the critical clue that helped commanders track down El Mencho?
