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

Mexican prosecutors say they have returned the body of drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, to his family.

Mexico City — Mexican authorities have returned the body of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” to his family after he was killed by the Mexican military last week, officials said Saturday.

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

“Genetic tests were conducted to confirm that there was indeed a blood relationship between the person who requested the release and the deceased,” the organ said.

The killing of the country’s most powerful drug lord sparked a wave of retaliatory violence in nearly 20 states. More than 70 people died.

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 will recreate the devastation,” said David Mora, a senior analyst at the global think tank International Crisis Group and a Mexico expert.

“The coming violence is going to play out differently,” Mora added, pointing to the reorganization of the cartel after the beheading of its leader and potential turf wars between smaller criminal groups.

The US State Department offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to El Mencho’s arrest. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which he runs, 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 is the Mexican government’s biggest prize in the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on cartels.