The final shootout of El Mencho, Mexico’s most powerful drug lord, took place from his luxurious hilltop villa in the rural Tapalpa region.
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, nicknamed El Mencho, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) drug cartel, evaded law enforcement for years by constantly changing his residence and always being escorted by heavily armed bodyguards.
But last weekend, the notorious drug lord’s whereabouts were revealed when he invited a girlfriend to his luxurious villa located in the Tapalpa Country Club, a secluded resort in the western Mexican state of Jalisco.
Mexican authorities, in coordination with U.S. intelligence, had been monitoring Tapalpa, a mountain town of about 20,000 people, for a long time, suspecting it was El Mencho’s hideout, but without concrete evidence. It wasn’t until they tracked his girlfriend and captured footage of Oseguera leaving the villa to embrace her that Mexican officials confirmed their target.
After his girlfriend left on February 21st, authorities determined that El Mencho remained with his bodyguards in the mansion, initiating a swift raid that led to the notorious crime boss’s death.
The two-story villa, numbered 39, features stone walls and a red tiled roof. Photographs obtained by Reuters show that the interior of the villa has several spacious rooms with modern furnishings and large windows overlooking a neatly manicured lawn.
An aerial photograph of a villa in the Tapalpa Country Club, Jalisco state. Photo: Reuters
In the kitchen, takeout food containers lay scattered on the counter, along with a box of spoiled strawberries, a bottle of sriracha chili sauce, a carton of milk, and a bottle of water. On the floor were crates of potatoes and tomatoes. A large bedroom contained a wardrobe with a few folded outfits, shelves stocked with skincare products and perfume, and a bottom shelf filled with packs of baby wipes.
A cabinet in another room contained various medications for conditions such as migraines, insomnia, acid reflux, and fungal infections, along with a beauty kit. Bottles of Tationil Plus, an antioxidant advertised to protect cells, were found in the freezer, next to a medication calendar. A small box tied with a red ribbon sat on the dining table. A piece of cloth bearing the logo of Mayorquin, a high-end jewelry store in Guadalajara, was also present in the house.
The villa also features a makeshift altar with statues of Catholic saints, including Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Jude Thaddeus. On a white sheet of paper is a handwritten passage from the Bible expressing faith in God.
In the early hours of February 22, Mexican army special forces deployed to surround the villa, with air support from two planes and six helicopters. Mexican soldiers, accompanied by armored vehicles, advanced to the hilltop, initially aiming to capture El Mencho alive, but the drug lord’s bodyguards opened fire and fought back, forcing the Mexican special forces to retaliate.
Entrance to the Tapalpa Country Club, a resort in Jalisco state, western Mexico. Photo: Reuters
According to Mexican Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla, the fierce gunfight resulted in the deaths of eight gang members inside the compound and wounded two soldiers. Authorities seized seven rifles, eight vehicles, two off-road vehicles, and two grenade launchers, including one of the same type used to shoot down a helicopter in 2015 during the earlier operation to capture El Mencho.
While the bodyguards fought back, El Mencho and four of his closest associates fled through the garden behind the villa, heading towards the woods on the hillside. A special forces team pursued them, forming a cordon and locating the crime boss hiding in the bushes.
Despite continuing the gunfight with the soldiers, El Mencho did not use the grenade launcher he was carrying. The fighting ended with El Mencho and two bodyguards wounded, and the remaining two members of his group captured alive.
Military doctors determined that El Mencho and his two accomplices were in critical condition and recommended transporting him by helicopter to Guadalajara. However, all three died en route. The helicopter was then diverted to Morelia due to security concerns about transporting Oseguera’s body to Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state and a stronghold of the CJNG gang.
Outside the Tapalpa Country Club on February 24, gardeners were still tending to the plants at the entrance, while in the distance, agave plantations used for tequila production stretched out. Along the roads surrounding the estate, charred remains of numerous vehicles left behind after the military raid and retaliatory attacks by the CJNG.
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