Body of notorious cartel boss "El Mencho" returned to family

Crime Body of notorious cartel boss "El Mencho" returned to family by Mexican authorities By Stephen Smith Stephen Smith Managing Editor Stephen Smith is a managing editor for CBSNews.com based in New York. A Washington, D.C. native, Steve was previously an editorial producer for the Washington Post, and has also worked in Los Angeles, Boston and Tokyo. Read Full Bio Stephen Smith February 28, 2026 / 4:19 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The body of the notorious cartel leader known as "El Mencho," who was killed in a military operation last week, was returned to his family, Mexico's attorney general's office said on Saturday. Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, who had a $15 million U.S. bounty on his head, was wounded by Mexican security forces in Jalisco and died while being flown to Mexico City, officials said. The death of "El Mencho" — who led the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel — sparked a wave of violence by the cartel across a large swath of Mexico, killing dozens of people, including 25 members of Mexico's National Guard. In a statement released Saturday, Mexico's attorney general's office said it performed genetic tests to match the cartel leader's remains to the family who requested the body. The office did not indicate where the handover took place or identify the relatives who took the body. A crucifix, religious candles and a handwritten psalm were found in Oseguera Cervante's home after the operation, the Associated Press reported . Mexican authorities said they tracked one of his romantic partners to the hideout. A source briefed on the operation told CBS News the raid was the culmination of intensified U.S.-Mexico counter-cartel cooperation under Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. A defense official told CBS News a counter-cartel task force the Pentagon established under U.S. Northern Command in January "played a role in that the Joint Interagency Task Force regularly works with the Mexican military," but the official emphasized that...