What Happens to the $15 Million Reward Now That El Mencho Is Dead?

The death of one of the world's most wanted fugitives has left authorities, cartel watchers, and potential informants with a pressing question: what becomes of the $15 million reward once offered for the capture of El Mencho?

Mexican security forces confirmed that El Mencho, the elusive leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed during a military operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco on 22 February 2026, after being critically wounded and later dying in transit to a medical facility. The United States had been offering up to US $15 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

El Mencho's death marks a turning point in Mexico's decades-long battle against cartel violence, but it also raises complex legal and procedural questions about how bounty programs work when the target is no longer alive.

How the U.S. Reward System Works

The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice program, which had listed El Mencho among its most wanted, typically ties payouts to information that leads to the arrest or conviction of a target. That wording leaves room for interpretation when the target is killed instead of captured.

Experts say that the government has kept the wording intentionally flexible so agencies can honor contributions from informants whose intelligence directly contributed to operational success, even if the fugitive was not taken alive. In high-profile international cases, the U.S. government has in the past honored claims where actionable intelligence led to locating a fugitive's hideout, planning a raid or otherwise facilitating authorities' ability to engage.

That precedent suggests that if a credible source can prove they provided information that directly enabled authorities to find El Mencho's location or vulnerability, they might still qualify for a reward claim, even though he was killed rather than arrested. This would not be a routine administrative payment: claims are vetted carefully, must be thoroughly documented, and ultimately require approval from senior officials within U.S. federal agencies.

Who Could Potentially Claim the Reward

In bounty programs of this scale, potential claimants generally fall into a few categories:

Private informants or collaborators: individuals with previously unknown, actionable intelligence that leads law enforcement to a fugitive's location or movements.

Law enforcement partners: authorized agencies or officials who pass actionable data through official channels.

Family members or associates of a fugitive are usually not eligible unless they can demonstrate they independently provided critical and verifiable intelligence through proper legal channels. Claims require detailed documentation showing the information was shared before authorities located the target and materially contributed to that outcome.

Closure of the Reward Posting

Once a reward target is no longer at large, whether arrested, convicted, or deceased, the posting is typically closed. That means the period during which new claims can be filed will end, and federal authorities will transition to reviewing any pending claims. Any person or entity with a potential claim will have a limited window to submit evidence and documentation.

In past cases, claims that arrive after an official posting is closed are usually not considered unless special circumstances exist. For example, if valuable intelligence came to light only shortly before a breakthrough led to an operation.