Brother of slain cartel leader “El Mencho” pleads guilty to U.S. drug charges

A man whose slain brother led one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent drug cartels pleaded guilty Friday in Washington to conspiring to traffic cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States.

Antonio Oseguera Cervantes worked for cartels with his brother Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the drug lord known as “El Mencho” who was killed by the Mexican army in February, according to federal prosecutors. 

The killing sparked nationwide unrest, with cartel members erecting highway blockades and setting fire to vehicles and buildings across 20 Mexican states. The violence left more than 70 people dead, including 25 National Guard members.

El Mencho co-founded and led the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, known by its Spanish-language acronym CJNG. Last year, President Trump’s administration designated the CJNG and other cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, 67, of Michoacán, Mexico, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell is scheduled to sentence him on Nov. 13.

He is alleged to have distributed 450 kilograms or more — about 992 pounds — of cocaine and at least 45 kilograms, roughly 99 pounds, or more of methamphetamine from at least January 1998 to December 2022, according to prosecutors.

Besides the conspiracy charge, Antonio Oseguera Cervantes also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking conspiracy. 

He was transferred from Mexico to the U.S. for prosecution in February 2025. He was a member of the Milenio Cartel before his brother co-founded the CJNG.

The U.S. this month announced a slew of sanctions targeting more than 50 Mexican individuals and entities allegedly linked to CJNG, including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel’s new leader, dual U.S.-Mexican national Juan Carlos Gonzalez.