The Mexican government has announced the auction of a plot of land within the country club where drug kingpin Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” died during a clash with the army in February.
Authorities have not disclosed who owned the land before it was seized by the government and do not directly link the property to El Mencho, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
But it is located in the exact area where the cartel leader was killed in Tapalpa, in the western state of Jalisco, on Feb. 22 in an operation conducted by the Mexican army.
The land has a starting price of about $750,000 and is among a list of 211 properties that authorities are set to auction on Thursday.
In past years, the government has auctioned off homes that belonged to the founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is currently imprisoned in the United States.
Officials said the Mexican special forces operation that killed the cartel leader, which included U.S. intelligence information, ended when special forces found Oseguera Cervantes “hidden in the undergrowth” in his home state of Jalisco. A crucifix, religious candles and a handwritten psalm were found in El Mencho’s home after the operation, The Associated Press reported. Mexican authorities said they tracked one of his romantic partners to his hideout.
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El Mencho’s death triggered retaliation by his cartel, which carried out roadblocks and set fire to vehicles across two-thirds of the country. Dozens of people were killed in the wave of violence, including 25 members of Mexico’s National Guard.
In 2025, CJNG was one of several cartels designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the Trump administration.
In March, El Mencho was buried in a golden casket with enormous flower wreaths and a large military presence in a cemetery in Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara.
Last month, the cartel suffered another blow when one of its top leaders was captured while he was hiding in a roadside ditch in the northwest of the country. Audias Flores Silva, also known as “El Jardinero,” or The Gardener, was seen as a possible successor to “El Mencho” and the U.S. had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Last week, a U.S. federal grand jury expanded the charges against Silva, accusing him of methamphetamine trafficking and conspiracy to launder money.
