Handwritten Bible Psalm Discovered in El Mencho's Luxury Cabin: 'Though a Thousand Fall at Your Side'

A handwritten version of Psalm 91 was found inside the luxury cabin where Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," was located and fatally wounded during a military operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco. The text included the line: "Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, you will be out of danger."

Authorities discovered the note alongside religious candles and images of the Virgin of Guadalupe, San Judas Tadeo, San Charbel, the Holy Family and San Martín Caballero, according to El Sol de Mexico.

The cabin, located in an exclusive country club development about 90 kilometers south of Guadalajara, showed signs of recent occupation, including food remains, medicine and beds. U.S. authorities had previously placed the property on an Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list in 2020, identifying it as part of a network allegedly used to launder money for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The site had also appeared in U.S. court filings involving Oseguera's daughter, Jessica Johanna Oseguera González.

The handwritten sheet, dated Jan. 26, 2026—27 days before the operation—reproduced parts of Psalm 91, a biblical passage centered on divine protection from violence and plague. "His loyalty will be your shield and armor. Disaster will not reach you," the text read.

Analyst Óscar Moha told the outlet that figures involved in organized crime often adopt "a kind of syncretism," combining symbols and prayers as protective amulets rather than as expressions of doctrinal faith.

General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo said during President Claudia Sheinbaum's daily press conference on Tuesday that intelligence forces located Oseguera by tracking an associate of one of his romantic partners. After confirming his presence at the cabin, special forces moved in. Oseguera attempted to flee toward a wooded area after a shootout but was wounded and died while being transported by helicopter, authorities said.

The killing of El Mencho provoked a violent reaction from CJNG throughout Mexico, with cartel operatives torching cars and generating some 250 flaming roadblocks across 20 different states.