Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as “El Mencho”, was buried on Monday in the state of Jalisco, where the criminal organisation he led rose to prominence as one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels, according to AP News.
His burial took place in a cemetery in Zapopan, an affluent suburb of Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, according to a federal official who requested anonymity as they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.
The leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was laid to rest in a gleaming golden casket, surrounded by imposing floral tributes. Dozens of mourners followed the procession, many shielding themselves with black umbrellas despite clear skies, while a band performed regional Mexican music in the banda style.
The Attorney General’s Office declined to confirm the burial site, citing “security reasons”.
Heightened security had already been visible since Sunday around a local funeral home, where oversized wreaths began arriving without inscriptions. Some featured floral depictions of a rooster, a symbol associated with Oseguera Cervantes, who was sometimes referred to as the “Lord of the Roosters”.
His death came just over a week earlier during a military operation intended to capture him. According to a death certificate obtained by The Associated Press, Oseguera Cervantes succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds.
The account aligns with details provided by Defence Secretary Ricardo Trevilla, who said the cartel leader and two of his bodyguards were gravely injured in an exchange of fire with soldiers outside a residence in Tapalpa, Jalisco. All three died while being transported to hospital. The certificate records bullet wounds to his chest, abdomen and legs.
Following the shooting, the body was flown to Mexico City for a post-mortem examination before being released to his family on Saturday, the Attorney General’s Office confirmed in a brief statement. As is customary in cases involving violent deaths, the certificate indicated that he was to be buried, allowing for the possibility of further forensic analysis should it become necessary. The document did not disclose the location of the grave.
The killing triggered a wave of violence across roughly 20 states, underscoring the continuing reach of the organisation he commanded. More than 70 people were reported dead in the period spanning the operation and the retaliatory attacks that followed. Authorities have stated that security operations remain under way targeting other senior figures within the cartel.
