Trump Strategy Led to Capture of Cartel Leader ‘El Mencho’

In a significant development for U.S. counter-narcotics efforts, government documents reveal that the death of notorious drug kingpin Ruben “Nemesio” Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was the culmination of a strategic campaign initiated by the Trump administration more than a year ago against the Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG).

El Mencho, who led one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations, was killed Sunday during a Mexican military operation in Tapalpa, Mexico. While Mexican forces executed the operation, U.S. officials provided crucial intelligence support that made the raid possible, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

The operation marks the end of a comprehensive strategy that began on President Donald Trump’s first day in office, when he signed an executive order directing the State Department to designate several cartels, including CJNG, as “foreign terrorist organizations.” This designation granted authorities access to military-grade surveillance capabilities and allowed for “material support” prosecutions against cartel associates.

Shortly after Trump’s executive order, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a policy memorandum announcing a “fundamental change in mindset and approach” to cartels, implementing a strategy of “total elimination” rather than mere containment. This policy specifically prioritized targeting cartel leadership.

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment identifies CJNG as one of Mexico’s most ruthless cartels and a primary supplier of fentanyl to the United States. The organization has established vast distribution networks across America, with the DEA noting that CJNG operates in “almost all 50 U.S. states” through associates, facilitators, and affiliates.

Beyond drug trafficking, CJNG has expanded into other criminal enterprises, including extortion, taxing human smuggling operations, and various fraud schemes. A 2019 Department of Justice statement to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs described CJNG as “one of the most powerful and fastest growing cartels” with key distribution hubs in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Atlanta. Intelligence estimates suggest the group has approximately 15,000-20,000 members.

The administration’s campaign against CJNG began showing results just over a month after Trump’s inauguration. On February 27, Bondi announced the extradition of 29 high-ranking cartel leaders from Mexico, including several CJNG executives and El Mencho’s brother, Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “Tony Montana.”

On March 7, El Mencho’s son and heir apparent, Ruben Oseguera-Gonzalez (“El Menchito”), was sentenced in Washington, D.C., to life in prison plus 30 years and ordered to forfeit $6 billion in drug proceeds. He had been extradited to the U.S. during Trump’s first administration in 2020.

The pressure intensified on March 15 when President Trump designated fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, authorizing the use of advanced military assets for border interdiction. This move significantly disrupted CJNG’s drug smuggling operations.

June saw additional high-impact actions against CJNG’s leadership structure. El Mencho’s brother-in-law, José González Valencia (“La Chepa”), and another high-ranking leader, José González Valencia, co-founder of CJNG’s financial wing “Los Cuinis,” were both sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. That same month, the Treasury Department used the FEND Off Fentanyl Act to cut off three major Mexican banks—CIBanco, Intercam, and Vector—from the U.S. dollar system for allegedly laundering CJNG funds.

In August, the administration secured the extradition of another 26 high-ranking cartel leaders, including Abigael González Valencia (“El Cuini”), another of El Mencho’s brothers-in-law who headed a major money-laundering operation for the cartel.

The campaign against CJNG continued in September with a massive nationwide operational surge by the DEA and Department of Homeland Security targeting CJNG distribution networks. The weeklong effort resulted in 670 arrests and the seizure of $18 million in currency, $29 million in assets, 92.4 kilograms of fentanyl powder, and over 1.15 million counterfeit fentanyl pills.

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole emphasized the administration’s approach, stating they were “targeting the Jalisco New Generation cartel as what it is—a terrorist organization—at every level, from its leadership to its distribution networks and everyone in between.”

By the end of 2025, the DEA reported seizing a total of 47 million fentanyl pills from cartel smugglers, including CJNG, representing more than 369 million potential lethal doses.

In early 2026, the administration established the Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel under U.S. Northern Command to further coordinate efforts to “identify, disrupt, and dismantle cartel operations” along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Just 72 hours before the Tapalpa raid that killed El Mencho, the Treasury Department sanctioned Kovay Gardens, a CJNG-controlled resort in Puerto Vallarta, cutting off a $300 million revenue stream for the cartel.

Following El Mencho’s death, White House press secretary Leavitt confirmed U.S. intelligence support for the operation, adding that President Trump “has been very clear the United States will ensure narcoterrorists… are forced to face the wrath of justice they have long deserved.”