Who will succeed ‘El Mencho’ as chief of the Jalisco cartel? Friday’s mañanera recapped

President Claudia Sheinbaum held her Friday morning press conference in Mazatlán, the top tourist destination in the northern state of Sinaloa.

During a security update, National Public Security System chief Marcela Figueroa reported that the daily homicide rate in Sinaloa in January was 3.42, a reduction of 50% from the recent peak of 6.9 last June. Sinaloa — plagued in recent times by violence related to infighting between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel — was Mexico’s fourth most violent state in 2025 in terms of total homicides.

Security Minister Omar García Harfuch reported that 2,225 people were arrested in Sinaloa for allegedly committing high-impact crimes between Oct. 1, 2024 — the day the current government took office — and Feb. 15, 2026.

Later in the press conference, officials responded to questions related to last Sunday’s military operation against Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, who died after being shot by soldiers in Tapalpa, Jalisco.

García Harfuch: 4 possible successors to ‘El Mencho’ 

Asked who could take control of the CJNG in the wake of Oseguera’s death, García Harfuch first noted that the cartel has a presence in “various states” — i.e. the vast majority of Mexico’s 32 federal entities.

He then told reporters that the cartel has regional leaders, and revealed that authorities have identified the four “strongest” leaders within “this criminal group.”

García Harfuch said that those leaders — who he didn’t identify — are “under investigation.”

He subsequently said that two of those four leaders are considered most likely to succeed “El Mencho” as head of the CJNG, generally regarded as one of the two most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico, the other being the Sinaloa Cartel.

While García Harfuch didn’t mention any names, Oseguera’s stepson Juan Carlos Valencia González, a 41-year-old California native known as “R3” among other aliases, is considered a leading contender for the leadership of the cartel.

According to media reports, other possible successors to “El Mencho” include Hugo Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán, known as “El Sapo” (The Toad); Audias Flores Silva, known as “El Jardinero” (The Gardener); Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, known as “El Doble R” (The Double R); and Heraclio Guerrero Martínez, known as “Tío Lako” (Uncle Lako).

3 soldiers were killed during operation targeting ‘El Mencho’

Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla Trejo said that three soldiers who participated in the operation against “El Mencho” died from injuries they sustained during a gunfight with CJNG members tasked with protecting the cartel’s leader.

The Defense Ministry said last Sunday that three soldiers were wounded in the operation and subsequently airlifted to Mexico City for medical treatment.

Trevilla said that 25 other members of the military, including National Guard officers, are currently receiving treatment in hospital for injuries they sustained last Sunday. During the CJNG’s violent response to Oseguera’s death, cartel gunmen engaged in confrontations with security forces in states including Jalisco and Michoacán.

García Harfuch reported on Monday that 25 National Guard officers were killed in clashes in Jalisco, while other members of that security force and others were injured in the confrontations.

Trevilla said that only one of the 25 hospitalized troops is in a “serious-unstable” condition.

“Fortunately, the rest are stable,” he said.

In the “successful” operation against “El Mencho,” Trevilla said that a total of 12 “criminals” who were shot succumbed to their injuries. He said that two others were arrested during the operation and are in custody.

The defense minister said security forces killed “34 criminals” in clashes after last Sunday’s operation in Tapalpa, while “around 70” suspected cartel members were arrested.

Gulf Cartel leader arrested 

Trevilla Trejo also responded to a question about the criminal activities of Antonio Guadalupe “N,” an alleged Gulf Cartel leader who was arrested in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on Thursday along with eight other alleged members of the same cartel.

Trevilla said that the suspect, known as “El Lexus,” led a criminal cell and provided security to José Alfredo “El Contador” Cárdenas Martínez, “leader of the ‘Los Ciclones’ faction of the Gulf Cartel.”

“He was also in charge of [drug] production [and] drug trafficking to the United States,” he said. “That was his main function.”

García Harfuch wrote on social media on Friday morning that the Mexican Army, the National Guard and the Air Force carried out an operation in Matamoros that resulted in the arrest of Antonio Guadalupe “N,” and nine other Gulf Cartel suspects.

He said that “El Lexus” is accused of extortion, kidnapping and the trafficking of weapons, people and drugs in Mexico and the United States.

Sheinbaum: ‘We’re with the people of Sinaloa’

While improving the security situation in Jalisco has been the top focus of the federal government this week, Sheinbaum emphasized that combating crime in Sinaloa is also a priority.

“We are with the people of Sinaloa,” she said when asked what her message was for families that have been affected by violence in the state.

“And the entire security cabinet and the government of Mexico is working with the state government to guarantee peace and security,” Sheinbaum added.

“And every day we will remain here, making our best effort, … [doing] whatever the people of Sinaloa need,” the president said just before the conclusion of her Friday mañanera.