Golden coffin, wreaths in the shape of roosters. El Mencho, drug cartel leader, buried in Mexico
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes was buried to the sounds of an orchestra performing narcocorridos.
Photo: Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images
In Mexico, the funeral of El Mencho — leader of the "Jalisco New Generation" drug cartel, killed in late February during a special operation by Mexican security forces — took place. Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (El Mencho's real name) was buried in a golden coffin to the sounds of an orchestra performing narcocorridos, writes the BBC.
The 59-year-old Cervantes died on February 22 from wounds sustained in a shootout between his bodyguards and special forces sent to apprehend him.
The founder of the infamous "Jalisco New Generation" drug cartel was the most wanted man in Mexico, and US authorities offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
El Mencho's death resulted in unrest across Mexico: cartel members set fire to cars and blocked roads in 20 states of the country.
During the lavish funeral near Guadalajara — in Jalisco state, a cartel stronghold — authorities strengthened security measures, deploying additional units of the National Guard to the streets.
Before the ceremony began, large floral arrangements were brought into the funeral hall, including some in the shape of a rooster — a hint at the deceased's well-known passion for cockfighting.
The special operation against Cervantes was a major success for the administration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who is under constant pressure from Donald Trump, demanding real results from the neighboring country in the fight against drug trafficking.
However, experts fear that El Mencho's death will create a power vacuum and provoke a new surge of violence: factions within the multi-thousand-strong drug cartel may start a bloody internecine conflict for control over Cervantes's empire.
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