Abraham Oseguera Cervantes, brother of Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, was arrested in Jalisco on Sunday, authorities said.
The older brother of the CJNG kingpin was detained by the National Guard shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday in the municipality of Autlán de Navarro, according to an entry in the National Register of Arrests. He was subsequently transferred to a Federal Attorney General’s Office facility in Mexico City.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed the arrest of the man known as “Don Rodo” at his morning press conference on Monday.
The charges Abraham Oseguera faces were not disclosed, but he reportedly had a discreet, administrative role within the CJNG, one of Mexico’s two most powerful criminal organizations, the other being the Sinaloa Cartel.
Security analyst David Saucedo told the Associated Press that he carried out “administrative activities” within the CJNG, and was in charge of some of the cartel’s trafficking routes into the United States.
López Obrador said that the federal Security Ministry would provide details about Abraham Oseguera’s arrest later on Monday.
🚨 Detuvieron a Abraham “N”, “Don Rodo”, hermano de Nemesio Oceguera Cervantes, “El Mencho”, líder del Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generacion
— Manuel Lopez San Martin (@MLopezSanMartin) April 22, 2024
A video showing Abraham Oseguera after his arrest in Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco
Don Rodo, who is reportedly 70 years old, and El Mencho were arrested on heroin trafficking charges in California in the early 1990s. Both returned to Mexico after serving their sentences in the U.S.
Just over 10 years ago, Abraham was formally accused of murder, but the case was time-barred and consequently didn’t proceed, according to reports.
His arrest comes around 1 1/2 years after another brother of El Mencho, Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, was arrested in Tlajomulco, Jalisco. Antonio, known as “Tony Montana,” is set to face trafficking charges in the United States after a judge approved his extradition in February.
El Mencho’s wife, son and daughter have also been arrested, but he remains at large
El Mencho’s wife, Rosalinda González Valencia, was arrested in Zapopan, Jalisco, in late 2021. In December 2023, the woman known as “La Jefa” (The Boss) was sentenced to five years in prison on money laundering charges.
Rubén “El Menchito” Oseguera González, son of the CJNG’s head honcho, was detained in 2015 and extradited to the United States to face drug trafficking charges in 2020. However, he has not yet faced trial.
Jessica Oseguera González, daughter of El Mencho, was arrested in the United States in 2020 on money laundering charges and sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2021. She walked free in 2022.
Meanwhile, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes is still on the lam. Aged in his late 50s, El Mencho is at the helm of a criminal organization that operates all over Mexico and in many countries around the world.
Anne Milgram, administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), has asserted that the CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel pose “the greatest criminal threat the United States has ever faced” given the quantity of narcotics — including the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl — they smuggle into the country.
U.S. authorities are offering a reward of up to US $10 million for information leading to El Mencho’s arrest. Almost five years ago, DEA agent Kyle Mori claimed that the capo was hiding out in the mountains of western Mexico.
“He hides in the mountainous areas of Jalisco, Michoacán and Colima. We think he’s not in the cities anymore,” said Mori, who was in charge of the DEA’s efforts to apprehend the CJNG leader.
“I don’t think he spends a lot of time in one place, or in one type of house. … He’s definitely constantly moving,” he said.
With reports from Reforma, El Universal, El Financiero, EFE, AP and Debate
