El Mencho’s Fall: Lessons from Colombia’s Fight Against Drug Cartels

The Fall of ‘El Mencho’ Echoes Colombia’s Experience with Pablo Escobar

The neutralization of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as ‘El Mencho,’ leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), represents for Mexico what the killing of Pablo Escobar Gaviria meant for Colombia on December 2, 1993, according to former Colombian Vice President and ex-Director General of the National Police, Óscar Naranjo Trujillo.

That Thursday in 1993, Colombian authorities not only neutralized the most feared boss of the Medellín cartel and the most wanted drug trafficker in the world, but also ended a reign of terror that claimed the lives of more than 5,000 Colombians, including 550 police officers, political leaders like presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento, dozens of journalists, and numerous judges and magistrates, Naranjo wrote.

The actions taken by the Colombian government and society following Escobar’s death shifted the equation in favor of the state, marking a turning point in the fight against drug trafficking. This occurred amidst projections that Colombia was on a path toward becoming a failed state, Naranjo explained.

Escobar’s death ushered in a new era for Colombia and solidified an innovative strategy to dismantle other cartels, one by one, in record time. These cartels had transformed into transnational criminal structures sharing the cocaine production and trafficking chain with Mexican organizations, Naranjo noted.

The lessons learned from both the successes and failures surrounding the Medellín cartel allowed for the accelerated imprisonment of the leaders of the Cali and North Valley cartels, who for over 30 years jeopardized the stability and legitimacy of the Colombian state and the very survival of Colombian society, according to Naranjo.

This disruption was achieved through a combination of factors, including a determined and unanimous political will to confront the phenomenon, an unprecedented purge within the ranks of the National Police, the creation of a Search Bloc dedicated to pursuing the cartels, modernization of intelligence services, increased capabilities for criminal investigation, the use of emerging technologies, inter-institutional cooperation, and crucial citizen support – often in the form of providing key information for capturing criminals, Naranjo detailed.

A significant change in operational model, introduced in 2006 when Juan Manuel Santos was Minister of Defense under President Álvaro Uribe, proved pivotal. This change focused on ensuring interaction between intelligence services and specialized operational units, operating under a compartmentalized bubble model responsible for bringing high-value criminal targets to justice. This fostered trust within institutions, ensured operational transparency, and established specific responsibilities for achieving security policy goals, Naranjo stated.

These combined factors ultimately shattered the myth of the untouchable and indestructible drug lord, paving the way for further disruptions in the fight against other organizations, including the FARC guerrilla group. This ultimately created the conditions for a negotiated exit to the armed conflict, leading to the demobilization of over 14,000 ex-combatants starting in 2016, Naranjo wrote.

Today, Colombia is well-positioned to lead the global fight against drug trafficking, with its military and police forces consistently seizing a minimum of two tons of cocaine daily, dismantling 10 cocaine processing laboratories every 24 hours, and arresting an extraditable individual every 30 hours, Naranjo reported.

However, Naranjo cautioned against repeating past mistakes, pointing to the failures of a policy of appeasement. He cited the previous six-year period in Mexico, where a “hugs, not bullets” approach allowed cartels to grow in size, weaponry, and territorial presence, directly challenging Mexican governability and institutional strength.

In Colombia, It’s now undeniable that attempting to negotiate socio-legal solutions with organized crime to bring them to justice is impossible without persistent and systematic judicial, police, and military pursuit of criminal structures. Naranjo emphasized the need to maintain a balance between the “stick and the carrot” in any peace and security policy.

in response to criminal organizations attempting to exert governance by controlling territory, imposing rules on citizens, co-opting local authorities through intimidation or corruption, and protecting their sources of criminal income, Naranjo argued that the state and its institutions must not only maintain a physical presence but also implement a comprehensive approach that transforms the lives of vulnerable communities.

Currently, Colombia’s main challenge is to dismantle the ‘Clan del Golfo,’ identified as the CJNG’s primary ally in the region, Naranjo stated. The death of ‘El Mencho’ presents an opportunity to assess the impact on the drug market in Colombia and the functional relationship between the ‘Clan del Golfo’ and the Colombian government, which is currently engaged in negotiations with the group.

The successful operation by Mexican authorities to neutralize ‘El Mencho’ is a golden opportunity to consolidate the rule of law in territories influenced by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and to capitalize on the uncertainty and power vacuum to strike at all links in this drug trafficking structure, Naranjo concluded.

The challenges are immense, extending beyond Mexico to encompass all of Latin America, which is severely affected by the transnational nature of crime and the increase in violence. Recognizing that crime knows no borders, Naranjo called for a global effort to build comprehensive, transnational strategies based on mutual trust, real-time information sharing, and the dismantling of ideological barriers surrounding public security policies, which range from the extreme use of force to arguments that poverty and inequality are the root causes of violence and crime.

Overcoming this antagonistic vision is more necessary than ever, Naranjo asserted, emphasizing that security is a public good and a citizen’s right that underpins the strengthening of democracy and prosperity. Confronting organized crime structures is no longer simply a priority for dismantling drug cartels, but a pressing necessity to protect democratic governance.