Letters to ‘El Menchito’: A Man Touched by God, Philanthropist, and A Singer

With weeks left before his sentencing and the looming threat of life imprisonment, Rubén Oseguera, ‘El Menchito,’ is seen as a “mass murderer” by the prosecution and a role model by his family.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rubén Oseguera González, known as "El Menchito," is accused of being a leader and co-founder of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) alongside his father. The U.S. government considers him a drug trafficker and a "mass murderer," which led U.S. authorities to request a life sentence after he was found guilty of manufacturing and distributing illicit substances, as well as possession of weapons.

According to the sentencing request, "El Menchito," born in the United States, began his criminal activities in 2009 at the age of 19, operating five methamphetamine labs and trafficking approximately two tons of cocaine per month to the U.S. for the Milenio Cartel, as stated in the sentencing request submitted by the prosecution to the District Court of Columbia.

Later, after his father, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho," founded the CJNG, he took on a leadership role within the criminal group. By 2013, he was already known as "El Señor de la Perla" due to his control over drug trafficking in Guadalajara, Jalisco.

The U.S. government argues that the drug trafficker ruled his empire with extreme violence, backing this claim with several examples.

One of these dates back to April 2015, when "El Menchito" murdered five men in the United States by slitting their throats as retribution for a debt. That same month, he shot his driver in the head for not parking quickly enough.

Later, in May of that year, he ordered his men to shoot down a Mexican military helicopter that was pursuing his father, an attack that resulted in the deaths of nine soldiers and left another severely disfigured.

However, with weeks remaining before his sentencing—set for March 7—and facing the possibility of life imprisonment, Rubén Oseguera, ‘El Menchito,’ is seen as a “mass murderer” by the prosecution and a role model by his family.

In a memorandum submitted to the U.S. prosecution and entered into Oseguera's criminal file on February 20—obtained by Pie de Nota—‘El Menchito’ is described by his children, grandmother, a priest from the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, and friends as a man touched by God, a philanthropist, and someone who loves to sing.