"El Mencho's" master plan: Why isn't the CJNG going all-in in Sinaloa?

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THIS ARTICLE WAS TRANSLATED AND REPOSTED FROM NOTICIAS PV

FEBRUARY 1, 2026

While Los Chapitos seek the full support of Jalisco to stop "Mayito Flaco," Mike Vigil of the DEA assures that Nemesio Oseguera is simply waiting for both factions to destroy each other.

The internal war within the Sinaloa Cartel, unleashed since the capture of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in September 2024, has entered a phase of desperate alliances. The Chapitos, weakened by losses against the faction led by Ismael Zambada Sicairos (“Mayito Flaco”), have turned to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). However, behind the deployment of hitmen and tactical equipment to Culiacán and Escuinapa, there is a much colder strategy at play on the part of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho.”

In an interview with Infobae Mexico, Mike Vigil, former director of International Operations for the DEA, described “El Mencho” as an extremely cunning drug trafficker who thinks like a “military general.” According to Vigil, the CJNG leader has no intention of waging an all-out war on behalf of the sons of “El Chapo” Guzmán.

The Tactic of Attrition

The CJNG's strategy is not to save Los Chapitos, but to allow the conflict to continue, thus weakening both sides. Vigil explains the key points of this strategy:

Minimal support: The CJNG sends limited reinforcements only to keep the war going and prevent Los Mayos from gaining ground quickly.

Mutual weakening: El Mencho benefits from both Zambada's and Guzmán's factions losing men, resources, and territory.

The final blow: "He's just going to sit there and wait until they destroy each other, and then he'll move in and take control," Vigil stated.

Sinaloa: A State Under Fire

More than a year after this conflict began, the toll is devastating: more than 2,000 murders have been recorded in the state, despite the constant deployment of military forces. The influx of hitmen from Jalisco into the southern part of the state has intensified the violence in municipalities like Escuinapa, where expert David Saucedo confirms that the clashes are now a direct fight between the CJNG and the Los Mayos faction.

If "El Mencho's" strategy succeeds, the CJNG is poised to become the most powerful criminal organization to ever exist in Mexico, absorbing the remnants of a Sinaloan empire that is devouring itself from within.

Source: Infobae Mexico / Interview with Mike Vigil (former DEA) | NoticiasPV Editorial Staff

Categories: CJNG, Ismael Zambada Sicairos, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, Juan Carlos Gonzalez Valencia, La Chapiza, La Mayiza, Los Chapitos, mf, Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, Sinaloa Civil War