Notorious Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguero Cervantes, also known as El Mencho, was buried in a golden coffin on Monday.
The cartel leader died after being wounded in a shootout between his guards and Mexican special forces who were sent to apprehend him in late February.
The 59-year-old founder of Jalisco’s notorious New Generation Cartel, the CJNG, was the country’s most wanted man, while the US offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
His death sparked widespread violence in response, with cartel members setting cars on fire and blocking roads in 20 Mexican states.
National Guard fighters were put on full alert to prevent further violence at the time of his arrest.
The funeral procession was accompanied by an orchestra playing ranchero music and narcocorridos, songs that glorify drug lords.
When Oseguera’s golden coffin arrived at the chapel located within the cemetery, the traditional song El Muchacho Alegre – “The Jolly Boy” – was played, local media reported.
After the ceremony continued, the funeral attendees – many of whom hid their faces with masks – followed the coffin, which was carried to the grave.
Mexican media noted that the burial plot was relatively modest compared to the graves of other drug lords, often topped with large mausoleums.
Author photo, Ulises Ruiz/AFP via Getty Image
Under Oseguera’s leadership, the CJNG has grown into a powerful transnational criminal organisation, spreading from its stronghold in Jalisco to many other manufacturing states in Mexico.
The liquidation of Oseguera by Mexican special forces was seen as a victory for President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government, which has come under increasing pressure from her US counterpart Donald Trump to crack down more aggressively on drug trafficking.
However, there are fears that the vacuum left by the cartel’s powerful leader could lead to an upsurge in violence in the short term as different factions within the criminal organisation – which is estimated to have tens of thousands of members – vie for control.