GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as “El Mencho,” was laid to rest Monday in a Zapopan cemetery in a shiny golden casket, as authorities enforced heightened security following his death in a military operation that triggered violence across multiple Mexican states.
A federal official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed that the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was buried in the suburb of Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state. The Attorney General’s Office declined to confirm the burial site, citing “security reasons.”
Dozens of mourners accompanied the funeral procession, many holding black umbrellas despite clear skies. A banda ensemble played traditional Mexican regional music as large flower wreaths adorned the ceremony. Some wreaths featured a rooster motif, a reference to Oseguera Cervantes’ nickname, the “Lord of the Roosters.”
Security had been stepped up since Sunday around a funeral home where wreaths had been delivered without names attached.
Authorities said Oseguera Cervantes was killed just over a week earlier during an army operation aimed at capturing him. A death certificate obtained by The Associated Press indicated he died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said the cartel leader and two bodyguards were critically wounded in a gunfight with soldiers outside a residence in Tapalpa, Jalisco. The three men died while being transported to a hospital.
The death certificate detailed bullet wounds to the chest, abdomen, and legs.
Following the confrontation, his body was flown to Mexico City for an autopsy and later released to his family on Saturday, according to a brief statement from the Attorney General’s Office. The certificate noted that burial was conducted in accordance with standard procedures in violent deaths, allowing for potential future forensic examination if required.
Officials acknowledged that Oseguera Cervantes’ killing sparked retaliatory violence in approximately 20 states. More than 70 people were reported killed in the clashes and unrest that followed the operation.
The government said security operations continue against other senior members of the cartel.
Burials of high-profile cartel leaders in Mexico are often surrounded by secrecy due to security risks and fears of retaliation. In some cases, supporters seek to elevate slain traffickers to legendary status.
Within hours of his death, narcocorridos ballads recounting the exploits of drug figures began circulating about El Mencho.
In Culiacán, Sinaloa, cemeteries are known for elaborate mausoleums belonging to former cartel figures such as Ignacio Coronel and Arturo Beltrán Leyva.
Mexico’s history of cartel violence also includes unusual cases such as Nazario Moreno, who was declared dead in 2010 before being killed again in 2014, and Heriberto Lazcano, whose body was stolen after his death in 2012. Amado Carrillo Fuentes, known as the “Lord of the Skies,” died during a botched plastic surgery procedure.
As authorities press forward with operations against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, security concerns remain elevated in the wake of one of Mexico’s most powerful crime figures being buried in a striking golden casket.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
- EDGARDO HERNAL
- EDGARDO HERNAL
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