CJNG
Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación), a major Mexican drug trafficking organisation based in Jalisco. Its leader El Mencho was killed in February 2026, triggering widespread retaliatory violence near World Cup host cities.
Last refreshed: 29 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
El Mencho is dead — so who controls the world's most heavily armed cartel now?
Timeline for CJNG
Mentioned in: Cartel drones bomb a Guerrero village
2026 FIFA World CupMentioned in: Guadalajara 12,000 security tested live
2026 FIFA World CupMentioned in: Plan Kukulkan deploys 100,000 troops
2026 FIFA World CupEl Mencho's death triggers 70 killings
2026 FIFA World CupMexico kills cartel boss El Mencho
2026 FIFA World CupWhat is the CJNG?
What happened when El Mencho was killed?
Is the CJNG a threat to the 2026 World Cup?
Background
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel emerged around 2010 from the ruins of the Milenio Cartel, built into one of Mexico's two dominant trafficking organisations under El Mencho. It distinguished itself through military-grade tactics including armoured vehicles, drone-dropped explosives, and an unusually centralised command structure, expanding across more than 25 states with operations in over 30 countries.
The Mexican military killed CJNG leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (El Mencho) on 22 February 2026 . Retaliatory violence killed at least 70 people across a dozen states within 48 hours, with road blockades and buses burned in Guadalajara . The crisis prompted Plan Kukulkan, deploying 100,000 troops for World Cup security .
El Mencho's death removed the leader who held CJNG together for 15 years but did not dismantle the organisation's financial and logistical network. The succession is unresolved four months before Mexico co-hosts the FIFA World Cup, with Guadalajara's Estadio Akron sitting in the cartel's operational heartland.
Who leads the CJNG after El Mencho?
