- El Mencho, leader of Mexico’s CJNG cartel, was laid to rest in a golden casket in Zapopan, Guadalajara, after losing his life in a gun fight with authorities
- The funeral blended tradition and cartel pageantry, with mourners dressed in black, masked faces, and truckloads of wreaths
- Photos of El Mencho’s golden casket quickly circulated online, sparking reactions about his wealth and notorious legacy
Infamous Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, famously known as El Mencho, was laid to rest on Monday, March 2, in a sombre ceremony attended by his family and close associates.
Source: Getty Images
The 59-year-old founder of the feared Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) died after sustaining serious gunshot wounds during a standoff between his bodyguards and Mexican special forces deployed to capture him on February 22.
Mencho had long ruled Mexico’s drug trade from the shadows, instilling fear and eluding capture multiple times.
At the time of his death, he was Mexico’s most-wanted man, with the US offering a $15 million (KSh 1.9 billion) reward for information leading to his arrest.
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El Mencho’s demise triggered widespread retaliatory violence across 20 Mexican states, with cartel members setting vehicles on fire and blockading roads in a show of force.
Inside El Mencho’s burial
Reports from Guadalajara revealed a highly controlled, yet colourful funeral at a cemetery in Zapopan within the city.
Mourners, all dressed in black and carrying black umbrellas, accompanied the golden casket, while members of the National Guard were present to prevent further violence.
Truckloads of wreaths were delivered to the cemetery, including one featuring a rooster, a nod to Mencho’s passion for cockfighting.
The funeral procession was accompanied by ranchero music and narcocorridos, songs that glorify the lives of cartel leaders.
Notably, Mencho was laid to rest in a golden casket, a clear symbol of his wealth and influence.
As his gold-coloured coffin arrived at a chapel inside the cemetery grounds, the traditional song El Muchacho Alegre (The Cheerful Boy) was played.
After an hour-long ceremony, mourners, many hiding their faces with masks, followed the coffin to the grave.
While the casket itself was opulent, media reports noted that the burial plot was relatively modest compared with other drug lords, who often have massive mausoleums.
Social media reacts
Photos of the golden casket quickly circulated online, sparking heated debates and reactions about Mencho’s life, wealth, and criminal legacy.
Here are some of the messages shared:
Samantha Sharrow:
“People will break into it. It may be guarded now but there’s always someone to take his place.”
Affordable Background Check:
“It’s not real gold. It’s called The Promethean – just a high end gold casket.”
Karl Orts:
“I’m digging that up.”
Sandy Montiel:
“Interesting a cartel boss still gets treated like royalty even after death.”
Magali Estela Herdez:
“Did anyone see his body? Or is just me, I doubt he died.”
Source: Getty Images
Is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dead?
In another report, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on Saturday, February 28 during a major joint airstrike by the United States and Israel targeting key leadership and military sites in Tehran.
The White House and Israeli officials said the strikes successfully hit Khamenei’s location, after intelligence and surveillance pinpointed his movements.
President Donald Trump described the operation as justice for both the Iranian people and Americans.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
