CJNG Remains Active and 'Highly Dangerous' After El Mencho's Death, Security Chief Harfuch Warns

Key Points

• Harfuch confirms the CJNG has not disappeared following the killing of its leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho," nearly a month ago in Jalisco.
• The cartel maintains a presence across multiple states and retains significant operational capacity.
• Mexico's Attorney General's Office (FGR) is preparing a report on seized properties and ongoing legal proceedings following the military operation.
• President Sheinbaum declined to provide additional details about the confrontation, deferring to information previously released by the Defense Ministry.
• Security experts are analyzing the succession within the CJNG, with Juan Carlos Valencia, "El R-3," emerging as a potential successor.

Mexico's Security and Public Protection Secretary Omar García Harfuch issued a stark warning during President Claudia Sheinbaum's morning press conference in Quintana Roo: the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has not been dismantled despite the killing of its supreme leader.

"It is a group that has a presence in several states of the Republic. It is a very strong organized crime group. While the neutralization of its main leader represents a weakening of its structure, it does not mean the group has disappeared. It has a national presence and is a group with high dangerousness," Harfuch declared.

According to intelligence reports cited by the security chief, the CJNG continues to operate with significant capacity despite the major blow dealt by the loss of "El Mencho" during a military operation in Jalisco approximately one month ago.

Seized Assets and the FGR

Regarding resources confiscated after the operation, Harfuch explained that the Attorney General's Office (FGR) would be responsible for presenting a detailed report. "Properties have already been seized, but I would prefer that the attorney general's office provide precise details on what properties have been seized and what proceedings have been carried out," he said.

President Sheinbaum, for her part, avoided elaborating on operational details, noting that the information had already been presented by the Defense Secretary.

Succession Within the CJNG

Security experts consulted by national media are analyzing who could lead the criminal organization following El Mencho's death. Juan Carlos Valencia, known as "El R-3" — a figure linked to both the Milenio Cartel and the CJNG — has emerged as a potential successor, though the succession landscape remains uncertain and potentially volatile.

Our Take

Harfuch's warning is as necessary as it is sobering. The fall of a cartel leader, however symbolic, rarely equates to the dismantling of the organization they built. Mexico's history proves this repeatedly: the capture of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán did not end the Sinaloa Cartel, and El Mencho's death will not end the CJNG.

The real challenge lies not in the military operation — which was successful — but in what follows: judicial follow-through, effective asset seizure, and preventing a succession war that could unleash further violence across the states where the CJNG maintains its grip. The FGR's transparency on seized assets will be a key indicator of whether this tactical victory translates into a real strategic advance against organized crime.