Marriage of Convenience: The Story of Rosalinda González Valencia and Nemesio Oseguera, “El Mencho”

• Rosalinda González Valencia: A Strategic Criminal Alliance
• Financial Structure of the CJNG
• El Mencho’s Death Redefines Leadership

The death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes has once again placed under scrutiny a relationship that shaped the course of organized crime in Mexico.

The leader of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), known as “El Mencho,” died on Sunday, February 22, after being arrested during an operation. Behind his rise was an alliance that strengthened his structure for years: his marriage to Rosalinda González Valencia.

More than a personal story, it was a strategic connection between two criminal structures operating with complementary functions.

How Did the Marriage Between El Mencho and Rosalinda Become a Key CJNG Alliance?

The union not only consolidated a romantic relationship but also sealed a pact between organizations.

“‘Los Cuinis’ and the CJNG sealed an alliance through the marriage of ‘El Mencho’ and Rosalinda Valencia, who had known each other since they were young.”

The marriage between Rosalinda González Valencia and “El Mencho” is believed to have represented an alliance between the powerful Valencia family and the “empire” of Nemesio Oseguera, who had worked for his wife’s family in his youth, tending their avocado fields and later becoming involved in drug trafficking.

Who Is Rosalinda González Valencia and What Has Been Her Role in the CJNG?

Rosalinda González Valencia, born in 1963 in Aguililla, belongs to the family known as Los Cuinis, identified by Mexican and U.S. authorities as one of the main financial backers of the CJNG.

She is the wife of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” and has been described as a key figure in the criminal group’s economic structure.

She was arrested on May 26, 2018, in Zapopan by Navy personnel.

According to federal authorities at the time, she was considered a probable administrator of the CJNG’s financial and legal resources and faced charges of organized crime for the purpose of carrying out money laundering operations.

After obtaining release on bail, she was rearrested in November 2021 for money laundering.

In December 2023, a federal court sentenced her to five years in prison for illicit financial operations, and she was held at Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 16 in Morelos.

In January 2025, she was granted early release after serving more than half of her sentence, as determined by a federal judge.

She is the mother of three children with Oseguera Cervantes, including Rubén Oseguera González, known as “El Menchito,” who was sentenced in the United States in 2024 to life imprisonment for drug trafficking and the use of high-powered weapons.

What Role Did the Valencia Family Play in El Mencho’s Criminal Rise?

Rosalinda, also known as “La Jefa,” came from an environment linked to drug trafficking.

The daughter of a family involved in narcotics, Rosalinda González Valencia had entered organized crime even before meeting “El Mencho,” who was killed following a joint operation between the United States and Mexico.

She is the niece of Armando Valencia, founder of the Cártel del Milenio, which operated for years in Michoacán and focused primarily on marijuana and cocaine production.

She has 15 siblings, most of whom helped expand the family business under the Cártel del Milenio and later became part of the reorganization that formed Los Cuinis, a group that has been under authorities’ scrutiny since 2015.

How Did the Balance Between Violence and Finances Operate Within the CJNG and Los Cuinis?

When Los Cuinis was established, led by Abigael—Rosalinda González Valencia’s brother—it allied with the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación as one of its financial and commercial arms.

According to the newspaper El País, there was a “balance” between the two organizations that allowed them to thrive: the CJNG served as the violent front and drug trafficking arm, while Los Cuinis operated through shell companies, beauty salons, hotels, and restaurants.

This scheme allowed one organization to handle armed operations while the other managed resources and expanded commercial ventures.

What Impact Did Persecution and Arrests Have on the Family Core?

As a couple and as drug traffickers, “El Mencho” and Rosalinda González Valencia faced persecution from Los Zetas, as well as the dismantling of the Cártel del Milenio, which later became an armed wing of the Cártel de Sinaloa, a rival of the CJNG.

Their son, Rubén Oseguera González, was detained and extradited to the United States.

You May Be Interested In: Who Is Guadalupe Moreno Carrillo, Partner of ‘El Mencho’?

Rosalinda González Valencia is currently detained, and combined with her son’s imprisonment and the death of “El Mencho,” leadership of the CJNG may no longer remain in the family’s hands.

This situation raises questions about the CJNG’s internal reconfiguration and whether the alliance that once strengthened its growth can survive without the core figures who propelled it.

SOURCE: El País / El Financiero.