The Mexican government announced the forthcoming auction of a plot of land situated within a country club. This location, significant for its link to the death of notorious drug kingpin Nemesio Oseguera, known as ‘El Mencho’, was where he died in a confrontation with the army in February.
Authorities have not revealed the previous owner of the land before it was seized. The plot’s direct connection to El Mencho, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), remains undisclosed. However, it is set in the precise area where El Mencho met his end in Tapalpa, located in the western state of Jalisco, on February 22, during a Mexican army operation.
The land comes with a starting bid price of approximately $750,000 and is part of a collection of 211 properties slated for auction on Thursday. This practice follows the Mexican government’s previous auctions of properties owned by notorious cartel figures like Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, the founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, currently held in the United States.
The operation leading to El Mencho’s death incorporated U.S. intelligence assistance. Mexican special forces tracked him down, finding him concealed in the underbrush in Jalisco, his native state. After his death, authorities uncovered items such as a crucifix, religious candles, and a handwritten psalm at his location, according to reports.
The cartel retaliated with widespread violence, causing roadblocks and setting vehicles on fire across large parts of the country. This wave of violence resulted in numerous casualties, including 25 members of Mexico’s National Guard.
In 2025, the Trump administration classified CJNG among several cartels identified as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. In March, El Mencho received a burial in a golden casket with elaborate flower wreaths and substantial military presence at a cemetery in Zapopan, near Guadalajara.
The cartel suffered further disruptions recently when Audias Flores Silva, known as ‘El Jardinero’ or The Gardener, was apprehended. Seen as a potential successor to ‘El Mencho’, his capture occurred while hiding in a ditch in the country’s northwest. The U.S. had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest. Last week, a U.S. federal grand jury increased charges against Silva, accusing him of methamphetamine trafficking and money laundering conspiracy.