Man whose slain brother led Mexican cartel pleads guilty to drug charges in US

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FILE - A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on fire in Cointzio, Michoacán state, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2026, following the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Oseguera, also known as "El Mencho." (AP Photo/Armando Solis, File)

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12:49 PM on Friday, July 31

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man whose slain brother led one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent drug cartels pleaded guilty Friday in Washington to conspiring to traffic cocaine and methamphetamine into the U.S.

Antonio Oseguera Cervantes worked for cartels with his brother Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the drug lord known as “El Mencho” who was killed by the Mexican army in February, according to federal prosecutors.

El Mencho co-founded and led the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, known by its Spanish-language acronym CJNG. Last year, President Donald Trump’s administration designated the CJNG and other cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, 67, of Michoacán, Mexico, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell is scheduled to sentence him on Nov. 13.

Besides the conspiracy charge, Oseguera Cervantes also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking conspiracy.

Oseguera Cervantes was transferred from Mexico to the U.S. for prosecution in February 2025. He was a member of the Milenio Cartel before his brother co-founded the CJNG.