Mexican authorities say cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was located after meeting with a romantic partner in Tapalpa, Jalisco.
The Secretary General of National Defense, Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, explained that on February 20, a man trusted by one of El Mencho’s romantic partners was located and took her to a facility in Tapalpa. At that location, the woman met with the CJNG leader. On February 21, she left the property, and authorities obtained information that El Mencho would remain there with his security circle.
According to Trevilla Trejo, the operation was planned on February 21 and carried out the following day. On February 22, ground forces arrived at the complex of cabins on the outskirts of Tapalpa, near a wooded area. Seeing the military presence, El Mencho fled into the undergrowth along with his close circle.
“He and his close circle fled into a wooded area. A siege is established, special forces personnel chase them, they locate him hiding in the undergrowth. They fire on the special forces personnel. The military personnel repelled the aggression,” Trevilla Trejo said.
El Mencho was wounded along with two of his escorts, while two additional individuals were arrested. He later died from his injuries while being transported to receive medical care.
Journalist Anabel Hernández reported, citing her sources, that the criminal leader had been with one of his romantic partners since February 14 or 15.
Who Is Guadalupe Moreno Carrillo?
The identity of Guadalupe Moreno Carrillo gained public relevance after documents leaked by Guacamaya Leaks placed her as an indirect contributor to the tracking of El Mencho’s whereabouts.
Although authorities have not confirmed that the meeting in Tapalpa was specifically with her, leaked documents from the October 2022 hacking of Mexico’s National Defense Secretariat (Sedena) describe Moreno Carrillo as part of the cartel leader’s inner circle. According to those reports, her relationship with Oseguera Cervantes reportedly began after the second arrest of his wife, Rosalinda González Valencia, in November 2021.
Despite appearing in several segments outlining the CJNG’s regional structure, the leaked documents do not detail her specific role within the organization. There is no solid public information about her past or criminal record beyond what has surfaced through the leaks.
Intelligence organizational charts formally identified two women romantically linked to the CJNG leader:
- Wife: Rosalinda González Valencia, also registered as Rosa González Valencia. In cartel records, she was linked to him with the date May 26, 2018 — the day she was arrested by Mexican authorities, though she was later released.
- Alleged current partner: Guadalupe Moreno Carrillo, listed in the cartel structure as “Current Partner,” at the same hierarchical level as his wife.
Authorities have not confirmed whether Moreno Carrillo was the romantic partner present before the February 22 operation or whether she directly contributed to intelligence that led to the siege.
