Unreleased Photo of Mexican Cartel Leader 'El Mencho' Surfaces After His Death

A previously unseen photograph of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho”, began circulating on social media weeks after authorities confirmed his death in a federal raid in Tapalpa, Jalisco, on 22 February 2026. The image, posted by security journalist Antonio Nieto on X, shows a group of young men in plain white T‑shirts, some standing and others crouching while eating from bowls and plates. Visual cues place the picture in the late‑1980s or early‑1990s, and Nieto identified the setting as the Big Spring Correctional Center in Texas, where Oseguera served roughly three years of a five‑year U.S. heroin‑distribution sentence.

The same photo was also shared by journalist José Luis Morales, who said it was sent to him via WhatsApp and labeled as “El Mencho” from years before his killing. The photo adds a rare glimpse of the future CJNG founder during his early incarceration in the United States, an episode that has not been widely documented in Mexican media.

The release of the image underscores the enduring public interest in the former head of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación and the broader impact of his death on Mexico’s drug‑related violence.