Mexican authorities hand over body of ‘El Mencho’ to his family

Newspapers hang on display for sale in Mexico City, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, a day after the Mexican army killed Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.” (AP Photo/Jon Orbach)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities returned the body of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” to his family after he was killed by the Mexican army last week, officials said on Saturday.

In a brief note on X, the Attorney General’s Office said that it handed over the body of El Mencho after completing all the necessary procedural protocols.

“Genetic tests were carried out to confirm that there were indeed blood ties between the person who requested the release and the deceased,” the organ said.

The killing of the country’s most powerful drug lord was met with a wave of retaliatory violence in some 20 states. More than 70 people were killed.

The violence has fueled fears that the bloodshed could hurt tourism ahead of the FIFA World Cup later this year.

“I don’t think handing over the body to the family is going to recreate the havoc,” said David Mora, a senior analyst and Mexico expert at global think tank International Crisis Group.

“The violence that is going to come next is going to play out differently,” Mora added, pointing to the reorganization of the cartel following the decapitation of its leader and potential turf wars between smaller criminal groups.

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which he ran, is one of the most powerful and fastest growing criminal organizations in Mexico and began operating around 2009.

In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

The drug lord’s death was the Mexican government’s biggest prize yet to show the Trump administration in its efforts to crack down on the cartels.