OSAC reports no large-scale breakup of CJNG after El Mencho’s death — Mexico News Daily
In Mexico, the death of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the founder of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), known as El Mencho, did not lead to a large-scale breakup of the group. At the same time, certain weakening may have occurred within the CJNG structure, according to a report by the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), Mexico News Daily reports.
El Mencho, the founder and former leader of CJNG, sustained fatal injuries during an operation by Mexican military forces in the state of Jalisco on February 22. In the first hours after the operation, cartel members set up roadblocks and set fire to vehicles and businesses in various states across the country.
No signs of a leadership struggle found
OSAC noted that the operation against El Mencho can be viewed as an attempt to weaken the criminal organization by removing its leader. At the same time, analysts suggested that, because of the constant threat of arrest, CJNG’s day-to-day operations had begun functioning without his direct leadership while he was still alive.
According to OSAC’s assessment, the CJNG brand may have become more important to members of the network than personal loyalty to El Mencho. The council also did not record a significant violent struggle for leadership of the cartel after his death. Some sources, including the U.S. Department of State, name El Mencho’s stepson, Juan Carlos Valencia González, as the new leader of CJNG. Other assessments indicate that the cartel may rely on a network of several influential regional leaders.
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Arrests and homicide figures
OSAC indicates that since February, CJNG has not carried out large-scale attacks or territorial offensives. In the council’s view, this may indicate structural weakening of the group, although it continues to operate in many regions of Mexico. In March, residents of the state of Michoacán reported renewed drone attacks, and there were also reports of renewed confrontation between CJNG and the Mayiza faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Mexican security forces continue to detain suspected CJNG members. In August, Mexico’s security minister, Omar García Harfuch, reported the detention of 32 people during operations in the states of Hidalgo, Jalisco and Michoacán. OSAC also noted arrests of the leadership of the Cuinis group, which it called CJNG’s money-laundering intermediary, as well as the freezing of accounts and assets linked to the cartel and its members.
According to federal government data, in the first eight months of 2026, the number of homicides in Jalisco fell by 39.6% year on year, and in Michoacán by 40.5%. At the same time, both states remained among Mexico’s 11 states with the highest total number of homicides from January through August.
