El Mencho is the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a drug cartel headquartered in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
Mencho is one of the notorious fugitives in the United States and the most wanted man in Mexico. El is wanted for his role in organized crime, drug trafficking and illegal possession of firearms.
According to reports, he oversees international drug trafficking operations. The CJNG grew under El’s leadership to become one of the most powerful criminal groups in Mexico.
Is drug lord El Mencho arrested today?
On August 10, 2022, in the state of Jalisco, in a “two-gang meeting”, soldiers hired criminals, including “bosses”, according to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. El Mencho’s arrest has yet to be officially reported.
Nonetheless, the arrest of the wife of CJNG leader El Mencho represents a victory for the government and a serious setback for the cartel’s ability to launder money. On November 15, 2021, Rosalinda González Valencia was taken into custody.
Rosalinda was apprehended in the town of Zapopan in the western state of Jalisco, dealing “a serious blow to the financial structure of organized crime in the state”, according to the military ministry.
Rosalinda was therefore detained for a number of offences, and the department said there was evidence of her involvement in “the illicit financial operation of an organized criminal group”.
A few months after her arrest, she then got bail and was released. Rosalinda has been called a “narco queen” by former head of international operations for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Mike Vigil, whose family has a long history of involvement in the drug trade.
Jalisco cartel bosses confront police in western Mexico
Authorities in western Mexico arrested scores of drug cartel leaders, destroying vehicles and businesses in two states.
Without naming those detained in Jalisco state on Tuesday, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said soldiers clashed with criminals, including “bosses”, in a “two-gang meeting”.
Social media posts featured photos of guys grabbing buses and cars and setting them on fire in the middle of freeways. Others displayed convenience stores that had closed.
Cartels frequently commit similar acts of chaos to thwart police attempts to transport gang leaders. According to Andrés, police continued to patrol the scene on Wednesday in an effort to make further arrests.
Enrique Alfaro, the governor of Jalisco, said on Twitter that no one was injured following the arrests. The Jalisco New Generation cartel controls the area and “El Mencho”, the leader of the gang, is wanted by Mexican and American police. Mencho’s presence at the scrum was not supported by any evidence.
Crime Boss El Mencho Net Worth: How Wealthy Is It?
El Mencho is estimated to be worth over a billion dollars. Mencho owned 100 Japanese restaurants, as well as real estate, shopping malls, newspapers and a tequila brand that was trying to export to Europe, according to InsightCrime.
Additionally, he had “gold bars” for money laundering and “luxurious villas built on a lagoon on the Pacific coast of Mexico.” A ranch home to exotic animals, including a Bengal tiger and endangered birds, was once owned by the drug cartel.
These are just some of El Mencho’s assets that have recently been taken by U.S. and Mexican authorities, according to Univision. Although the DEA estimate is only a guess, it does provide some insight into the extent of El Mencho’s criminal activities.