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The son of a major cartel leader has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in running one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent drug trafficking organizations.
Some shit you should know before you read: Back in February 2020, Rubén Oseguera González, known as El Menchito, was extradited from Mexico to the United States to face federal charges related to his role in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). US prosecutors accused him of conspiring to distribute massive quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine for importation into the US. As the son of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, the leader of CJNG, El Menchito was considered the cartel’s second-in-command, overseeing violent enforcement operations and drug production. CJNG, one of the world’s most powerful and brutal cartels, is known for its paramilitary tactics, large-scale fentanyl distribution, and direct attacks on law enforcement, making it a top target for US authorities.
What’s going on now: In federal court, prosecutors portrayed El Menchito as a ruthless cartel leader responsible for extreme violence and large-scale drug trafficking. They detailed how he ordered the killings of at least 100 people, including personally executing victims and orchestrating the downing of a Mexican military helicopter in 2015, which killed nine people. Prosecutors also recounted a particularly gruesome incident in which El Menchito slaughtered five men who owed him money by slashing their throats with a knife. “As described by one of the eyewitnesses, (Oseguera) slashed each of the five bound men’s throats using a half-moon shaped knife, and after he was done, asked for a clean shirt,” the prosecution wrote in its sentencing memo.
During sentencing, US District Judge Beryl Howell dismissed any argument that El Menchito had been forced into cartel life, making it clear that his actions were deliberate and calculated. “You weren’t a child when you were committing all these crimes, and you won’t be sentenced as a child here,” she told him. Howell also said that Oseguera deserved to be called a “drug kingpin” and that his criminal actions were “among the most serious that our drug laws are designed to address.”
The prosecution initially sought two life sentences, one for drug trafficking and another for firearm-related crimes, along with a forfeiture of $12 billion in cartel proceeds. In the end, Howell sentenced him to life in prison plus 30 years and ordered him to forfeit $6 billion.
Oseguera himself remained silent before the court, declining to make any statement before his sentencing. After the sentencing, His attorney, Anthony Colombo, called the life term “greater than necessary” and vowed to appeal, arguing that the case should have been tried in Mexico, not the United States.
In a statement, Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “This defendant helped build Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion into a brutal terrorist organization that pumps poison onto our streets and commits horrific acts of violence.”
