Brother of CJNG Founder 'El Mencho' Sentenced to 270 Months in U.S. Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearms Offenses
Washington — The U.S. Department of Justice announced on November 13 that Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, 67, of Michoacan, Mexico, was sentenced that day to 270 months in prison for international drug trafficking and firearms offenses. He is the brother of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as 'El Mencho,' a co-founder of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG); his own nickname is 'Tony Montana.'
According to court documents, Oseguera Cervantes distributed cocaine and methamphetamine for importation into the United States and supplied chemicals to methamphetamine laboratories. He had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine for importation into the United States, as well as using, carrying, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy.
The Justice Department said he joined the Milenio Cartel around 2002, shortly after serving a federal prison sentence in the United States for conspiracy to distribute heroin, after which he was deported to Mexico. As a Milenio leader he oversaw narcotics sales, protected cartel territories from rival groups, and supervised methamphetamine laboratories. In 2010 the Milenio Cartel's military faction split off to form the CJNG; his brother Mencho co-founded the CJNG and led it from 2010 until he was killed in a Mexican military operation in February 2026. Oseguera Cervantes reported directly to Mencho, worked with the CJNG-aligned cartel Los Cuinis, and managed the CJNG's drug-proceeds collection and laundering, carrying a pistol when collecting proceeds and attending drug-trafficking meetings.
'For more than two decades, Antonio Oseguera Cervantes helped fuel one of the world's most dangerous drug trafficking organizations, flooding America's communities with deadly drugs,' said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, adding that the sentence shows the department's commitment to the total elimination of drug cartels, including the CJNG. DEA Administrator Terry Cole said the sentencing demonstrates that no cartel leader is beyond the reach of American justice.
The DEA's Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit in Los Angeles investigated the case, and the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs assisted with his February 2025 transfer from Mexico to the United States under Mexico's national security law. The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, and was prosecuted by attorneys from the Criminal Division's Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and its Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit. (Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿的美国司法部总部大楼秋日立面（资料图）。美国之音（VOA）公共领域图片。 / Photo: The U.S. Department of Justice headquarters building in Washington in autumn (file photo). Voice of America (VOA), public domain.
