A lavish display of flowers, traditional music, and a heavy security presence marked the final farewells to Mexican drug trafficker Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” who was killed by the Mexican army. He was buried Monday in a small cemetery in western Mexico.
(Keystone-ATS) The remains of the former leader of the powerful Jalisco Modern Generation Cartel (CJNG) rested in a gold-colored coffin. However, unlike the luxurious tombs where many notorious drug traffickers are buried, El Mencho’s final resting place is a simple headstone on the ground of a cemetery near a military installation, approximately five kilometers from the Guadalajara stadium that will host matches during the FIFA World Cup in June.
Oseguera’s body was handed over to his family on Saturday, who then transported it from Mexico City to Guadalajara for burial in the Zapopan suburb.
Bounty on His Head
El Mencho, the most wanted drug trafficker with a $15 million bounty offered by the United States, died during an operation conducted on February 22 in Tapalpa, Jalisco state, by the Mexican army with the assistance of U.S. Intelligence.
Since Sunday, the funeral home handling the body was heavily guarded by Mexican soldiers, members of the National Guard, and police officers.
A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that the body was constantly guarded “so that rival groups” would not desecrate it.
The security detail deterred onlookers, but did not prevent a steady stream of flower arrangements, some in the shape of crosses, others composed of angel wings made of red roses, and even one in the form of a rooster – a tribute to El Mencho’s passion for cockfighting. Notably, the names of the senders were not visible on the bouquets.
Prior to the burial, a religious ceremony lasting about an hour was held in a chapel adjacent to the cemetery, where a norteño music group performed “narcocorridos,” songs glorifying drug lords.
