El Mencho Moved to Gated Community to See His Daughters, a Decision That Ultimately Led To His Killing: Report

The Feb. 22 military operation to capture the leader of the Jalisco cartel came as a surprise strike against Mexico's most powerful criminal organization. It was so unexpected that even Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho," and his security team were caught off guard.

Almost two weeks after El Mencho's death, more details about his final days have begun to emerge, including a new report by The New York Times detailing how authorities managed to locate one of the world's most wanted men.

As noted by the outlet, El Mencho did not own a cellphone because he feared carrying a device that could be tracked and reveal his location. Instead, he relied on a close knit group of messengers responsible for protecting him and delivering his orders.

Despite managing to evade authorities for more than two decades, the report suggests that El Mencho's downfall was tied to the women in his life.

First, Oseguera Cervantes wanted to see his adult daughters, a decision that led him to move into a home in a gated community in the tourist region of Tapalpa. To avoid raising suspicion, he arrived with a much smaller group of bodyguards.

Then, according to the report, El Mencho invited one of his lovers to his hideout, unaware that Mexican and U.S. intelligence agencies had been tracking her. Two days before the operation that led to his death, intelligence agents watched the woman and two young children travel to a house in a gated community that had been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department as far back as 2015 for its ties to the Jalisco cartel.

On Feb. 21, two senior Mexican officials and another person briefed on the operation told The New York Times that a U.S. surveillance drone patrolling the area recorded the woman and children leaving the house.

After connecting the dots, authorities concluded that the man living in the house was none other than El Mencho, prompting them to launch an operation in less than 48 hours to capture him.

Although the operation ended with El Mencho's death, it was not viewed as a clear success in Washington. According to Mexican officials who spoke to The New York Times, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had hoped the killing would generate some goodwill. Instead, sources told the outlet that President Donald Trump called her the following day, worried and irritated by the chaos unleashed by CJNG members in more than 20 states across Mexico.

That same day, Trump posted that "Mexico must step up their effort on Cartels and Drugs!" A few hours later, during his State of the Union address, he took credit for the operation without mentioning the Mexican government. "We've also taken down one of the most sinister cartel kingpins of all," he said, suggesting he remained unimpressed with Sheinbaum's efforts to combat drug cartels.

Although El Mencho spent two decades evading authorities, the report suggests he was not always hiding. In rural areas of western Jalisco, local residents said he was sometimes seen at cockfights, surrounded by loud music and beer. He was so fond of the sport that he earned the nickname "lord of the roosters."

Mexican officials believe he had become largely estranged from his wife and maintained relationships with several lovers, including the woman who unwittingly led authorities to him. Officials did not identify her.

When authorities finally located him, officials familiar with the matter said Oseguera Cervantes had taken steps to appear younger. His hair and mustache had been dyed, one official said, and his teeth were capped with veneers.

The mission turned deadly, leaving 13 people dead, though officials said the toll was lower than they had anticipated. For years, Mexican authorities had feared that any attempt to take down El Mencho could trigger a far bloodier confrontation. Intelligence assessments had warned that the layout of his encampments could have resulted in as many as 80 deaths during an operation.

In the end, however, the real surge in violence came after his death. Members of the Jalisco cartel unleashed a wave of retaliation across Mexico, setting up more than 250 roadblocks and torching more than 500 vehicles.

By the time the violent clashes were put under control, the death toll from the operation and the violence that followed had climbed to more than 70 people. Among the dead were 47 cartel fighters and 25 Mexican soldiers, along with a pregnant civilian who was caught in the middle of a gunfight.