Who Is 'El Mencho'? 20 Things To Know About Jalisco New Generation Cartel Drug Kingpin

Drugs, economic independence, luxury, power, respect, corruption, smuggling, deaths, a turf war for the control of the region and leadership are just some of the elements that make up the most feared criminal groups in Mexico, USA and Latin America in general. The Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the Knights Templar Cartel, The Zetas and La Resistencia, have been battling each other for years for a common end; The absolute control of the territories.

With an operation network from coast to coast, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, has been positioning itself like one of the criminal groups with the greatest operating capacity in Mexico as of 2012. With that capacity, its leader, Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes is one of Mexico's most-wanted drug lords.

With the capture and deaths of important key pieces of the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, without hesitating for a second, emerged as the most notable criminal group declaring war on all other Mexican cartels and making clear its intention to take control of the city of Guadalajara.

With a criminal status of "Fugitive," the leader of the CJNG is known for his aggressive leadership and sensationalist acts of violence. The Rolling Stones magazine dedicated an article to Mexico's next-generation narco, "El Mencho," describing him as a sadistic, extremely violent, and a powerful "guy with zero regard for human life."

Here are 20 important things you might want to know about Rubén Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes:

1. Was born on July 17, 1966 (age 50) in Mexico.
2. Oseguera Cervantes grew avocados and dropped out of primary school before immigrating illegally to the U.S. in the 1980s.
3. Mencho was sentenced to five years at Big Spring Correctional Center for working in a heroin ring with the Milenio Cartel. He was deported after three years and eventually founded the CJNG.
4. CJNG have been around for only about 5 years.
5. The U.S. government is offering up to US$5 million for information that leads to his arrest and/or conviction.
6. CJNG specialize in methamphetamine, which has higher profit margins than cocaine or heroin.
7. The cartel has established trafficking routes in dozens of countries on six continents.
8. Mencho invested heavily in submarines, used to bring in narcotics from South America.
9. A DEA agent told to Rolling Stones the CJNG "have way more money than Sinaloa Cartel."
10. Experts estimate CJNG now posses a war chest worth $20 billion.
11. Since El Chapo's arrest, Veracruz, Mexico, murder rate tripled. CJNG and Sinaloa spent last year fighting for supremacy.
12. CJNG operatives raped, killed and set fire to a 10-year-old girl whom they (mistakenly) believed was a rival's daughter.
13. In 2016, Mencho's men kidnapped with assault rifles, two of El Chapo's sons in a Puerto Vallarta restaurant. Ivan, 35, and Jesus Alfredo Guzmán, 29, had made the mistake of partying on the turf of Sinaloa's newest and most dangerous rival.
14. El Chapo paid to El Mencho 2 million dollars for his sons. Both were released unharmed.
15. With the kidnapping the leader of the Jalisco cartel was simply sending a message to the Sinaloa cartel. El Chapo was in prison, Mencho was coming for the throne.
16. While El Chapo's face is familiar, only a handful of photos of Mencho are known to exist. DEA agent told to Rolling Stones "He's kind of a ghost."
17. Mencho declared war to federal police after six CJNG members were killed. CJNG attacked, bombarding the pinned-down Mexican cops with machine guns and grenade launchers.
18. Mencho doubled down on the terror, setting fire to dozens of hijacked buses, trucks, gas stations and banks throughout Jalisco.
19. If Mencho were captured tomorrow, the U.S. would likely request his extradition, just as it did with Chapo.
20. Experts suspects Mencho is hiding in a remote mountainous area somewhere, likely in Jalisco or Michoacán.