Jalisco Drug Lord’s Son Extradited to Face US Charges

(CN) — The son of one of Mexico’s most wanted cartel leaders was extradited to the United States where he will appear Friday in Washington on drug charges.

Ruben Oseguera is the son of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, who heads the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Cervantes is considered extremely dangerous, and the U.S. has offered a reward of $10 million for information leading to his arrest.

Over the last 10 years, under his leadership, the JNGC has become Mexico’s fastest-growing criminal organizations with drug-trafficking operations on every continent but Antarctica. The captured Oseguera is known as “El Menchito,” while his fugitive father is known as “El Mencho.”

Mexico’s top security official said Friday that Oseguera was given to U.S. authorities after he lost a long legal fight against extradition, following several legal appeals filed by his lawyers. The U.S. Department of Justice is due to indict Oseguera on Friday in Washington, D.C.

On Thursday, following the extradition, the U.S. Embassy issued an alert warning U.S. citizens that the cartel may seek retaliation.

“We would like U.S. citizens to be aware that, following previous high-profile security operations, criminal groups operating in Jalisco have responded by taking retaliatory actions including an increase in anti-government rhetoric (banners and internet threats) and blockades inside the city and on interstate highways,” the alert states. “On some occasions, these criminals have seized private vehicles and set them on fire.”

Oseguera has dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship, as he was born in California. He was arrested in 2015 on charges related to weapons possession and organized crime.

This extradition follows pressure placed on Mexico within the last year by President Donald Trump to increase the extraditions of drug cartel members.

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