In the anarchical world of Mexico‘s drug cartels they call her ‘La Jefa’ – The Boss.
Now, as the widow of Mexico’s most-wanted drug lord she stands at the center of the storm in a country convulsed by spasms of cartel violence.
Rosalinda González Valencia, 63, married Nemesio Oseguera, the brutal mastermind known as ‘El Mencho,’ in 1996.
On Sunday, El Mencho, 59, leader of the savage Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), who had a $15 billion bounty on his head, was killed by soldiers in Jalisco state.
Mexico was on high alert Monday with schools closed, travelers stranded, airports in chaos, and gas stations in flames as El Mencho’s henchmen launched violent revenge rampages.
Mexican Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla revealed that it was a visit from a ‘romantic partner’ that led to El Mencho’s capture.
Following the visit, an associate of the woman told authorities where to find El Mencho, and special forces stormed his lair.
Trevilla did not name the woman and it was unclear if it was Rosalinda. The couple, who had three children, separated in 2018, according to local reports, and he had been linked to other women.
Rosalinda González Valencia, wife of drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias ‘El Mencho’
Although it is unlikely in the male-dominated cartel world, Rosalinda could now be the best positioned person to take over her late husband’s power.
Such a scenario would mirror Hollywood dramas like “Griselda” – the Netflix production starring Sofia Vergara – and the Oscar-winning movie “Traffic,” starring Catherine Zeta -ones.
Rosalinda is already no stranger to the law.
She was first arrested and released in 2018, and then captured by the Mexican army in 2021.
The Mexican government described her detention then as a ‘significant blow to the financial structure of organized crime’ and accused her of involvement in ‘the illicit financial operation of an organized crime group.’
At the time, Mike Vigil, former international operations chief for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, called her a ‘narco queen.’
‘She has all of the keys, all of the confidence of El Mencho, all of the information, and was responsible for laundering the cartel’s money,’ Vigil said.
Following the 2021 arrest Rosalinda, reputedly a clever businesswoman, was jailed for five years for money laundering.
She was released early last year for good behavior, according to news reports in Mexico. Her present whereabouts are not known.
Jessica Oseguera, daughter of Mexican cartel boss El Mencho, served a j30-month jail sentence in the US
Smoke billows from burning vehicles amid a wave of violence in Mexico following the killing of ‘El Mencho’ by security forces
Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes was killed by Mexican federal forces on Sunday, leading to chaos across Mexico
When she was arrested in 2021 two of her three children were already behind bars in the US.
That included daughter Jessica Johanna Oseguera Gonzalez – known as ‘La Negra.’
Jessica, a dual US and Mexican citizen, was born in San Francisco but studied at university in Mexico.
She was arrested in 2020 in Washington DC when she attended a court hearing involving her brother.
She was charged with money laundering under the Kingpin Act, pleading guilty to five counts, and was jailed for 30 months.
According to the Department of Justice she owned or helped run six businesses sanctioned by the US, including two sushi companies and a tequila operation.
At the time, a DOJ official said: ‘We will aggressively investigate and criminally prosecute those who willfully violate Treasury Department sanctions under the Kingpin Act, as a key component of our broader strategy to dismantle and disrupt foreign drug cartels.’
‘La Negra’ was released from jail in 2022.
El Mencho’s daughter Jessica was jailed for 30 months for money laundering
El Mencho pictured with his son and one of his daughters
A truck passes by a burned bus set on fire by organized crime groups in response to El Mencho’s death
Sofia Vergara at the premiere of “Griselda” in which she played a female cartel boss
Her brother, Rosalinda’s son Rubén Oseguera González – known as ‘Menchito’ or ‘Little Mencho’ – had been extradited to the US in 2020 on drug trafficking charges.
He was ultimately jailed for life and ordered to forfeit over $6 billion in drug trafficking proceeds.
He was considered by the DOJ to be CJNG’s second-in-command, responsible for trafficking more than 50 tons of cocaine.
Rosalinda and El Mencho’s other daughter Laisha has had a much lower public profile.
According to local reports, El Mencho and Rosalinda separated eight years ago, but the exacts status of their marriage remains unclear.
Rosalinda grew up the eldest of up to 18 siblings, and is the niece of a powerful 1990s figure called ‘El Maradona,’ who founded the the Milenio cartel.
Originally avocado farmers, members of the clan diversified into marijuana, and then morphed into a money laundering cartel known as
El Mencho’s cartel had trafficking routes across five continents
Catherine Zeta-Jones played a drug lord’s wife in ‘Traffic”
Los Cuinis, named after a type of squirrel that reproduces quickly.
According to the DOJ it ‘financed the founding and growth of’ CJNG through a burgeoning business empire that comprised restaurants, hotels, beauty salons and more.
That operation was headed by three of Rosalinda’s brothers, according to the DOJ.
Last year, one of them was sentenced to 30 years in jail in the US.
Meanwhile, the CJNG, headed by El Mencho, became arguably Mexico’s most powerful and violent cartel.
It made its reputation with brazen attacks on Mexico’s security forces, including an assassination attempt on Mexico City’s police chief that wounded him and left three people dead.
In 2015, cartel gunmen shot down a Mexican military helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade, and it has also been accused of drone attacks on law enforcement.
It has ruthlessly expanded its territory beyond the state of Jalisco, spurring bloodshed in states including Guanajuato and Michoacan, as well as reaching its tentacles into Mexico’s Caribbean beach resorts.
The cartel went on to set up drug trafficking routes across five continents.
Its main business is trafficking drugs to the US, especially methamphetamine and fentanyl.
According to the DOJ it is traffics hundreds of tons of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the US and other countries, and is known for ‘extreme violence, murders, torture, and corruption.’
President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum speaks at Palacio Nacional on February 23, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico
The most orderly successions in cartels tend to come when a relative takes over, according to experts.
But the prospect of La Jefa assuming control in the male-dominated world of the cartels would be is unlikely, especially if they are no longer married.
David Saucedo, a security consultant, said: ‘This is similar to what happened with the capture of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
‘The commanders of this criminal organization will reach an agreement on who will take over the position; if they fail to reach one, a civil war will break out within the organization.’
‘The CJNG is a pyramidal organization, Mencho exercised undisputed command.’
Since her release from prison last year, Rosalinda has seemingly vanished.
Experts say that El Mencho’s stepson, Juan Carlos Valencia González, could now succeed him.
Speaking to El Pais, Víctor Manuel Sánchez Valdés, professor and researcher at the Autonomous University of Coahuila specializing in organized crime, said: ‘The most logical successor now is Juan Carlos Valencia González, his stepson.’
He said other figures who could compete for the position include Audias Flores Silva, another major figure in the cartel who oversees operations in Michoacán, Zacatecas, and Nayarit, as well as Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán, who manages the ports.
Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, who is identified in the press as the leader of the cartel’s Elite Group could also be a candidate.
