Cartel chief’s son held in U.S. drug case

MEXICO CITY — Mexico extradited the son of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel to face drug charges in the United States.

Ruben Oseguera was handed over to U.S. authorities Thursday after he lost a legal fight against extradition, Mexico’s top security official, Alfonso Durazo, said Friday.

Oseguera pleaded innocent Friday to federal drug charges during an appearance in U.S. District Court after his overnight extradition from Mexico. He was charged with conspiracy to distribute large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine and use of a firearm in commission of a drug trafficking offense

Oseguera is known as “El Menchito,” after his father, Nemesio Oseguera, alias “El Mencho.” The younger Oseguera was born in California and holds dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship. He was arrested in 2015 on weapons-possession and organized-crime charges, and had been fighting extradition.

The Jalisco cartel is currently Mexico’s most violent and fastest-growing gang.

The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert saying “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.”

“On some occasions, these criminals have seized private vehicles and set them on fire,” according to the alert.

The elder Oseguera remains a fugitive, despite the 2018 arrest of his wife. The U.S. has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest.