Who was Mexican drug lord El Mencho? What connection does he have with India?

Mumbai: Mexico’s most wanted drug cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera alias El Mencho, who was killed during a military raid on Sunday, had Asia connections. He was involved in the manufacturing of synthetic drugs.

While China had been one of the primary sources of precursors to manufacture methamphetamine in Mexico, Mencho’s organisation, Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), also procured precursor substances from unscrupulous chemical suppliers in India.

Besides, CJNG had its footprints in the Indian drug market with the cartel running clandestine laboratories in a few states, manufacturing methamphetamine and mephedrone.

A report by the global think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said that the CJNG's documented activities comprise, among other things, supplyingmethamphetamine and fentanyl to the growing market in the US; sourcing precursors from China, India, and Turkiye.

Besides, a 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA) report by the United States’ Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said that despite some restrictions in Mexico on precursor chemicals, the Mexican transnational criminal organisations (TCOs) continue to adapt by finding alternative manufacturing methods, using uncontrolled pre-precursor chemicals, and changing shipping routes and methods.

The report further said that chemical shipments originating from China are diverted in several ways, including purposeful mislabeling, shipping to and diversion from legitimate companies in Mexico or Central America, and diversion from legitimate industries for smuggling to clandestine laboratories in Mexico.

‘Mexican TCOs have moved away from heavily restricted precursors in favour of less restricted, easier-to-obtain chemicals, mainly involving the precursor phenyl-2-propanone (P2P),’ the report added.

Besides sourcing precursors, Mencho’s cartel was also found to be manufacturing methamphetamine and mephedrone in clandestine laboratories in Delhi-NCR and some other states. In November 2024, the Narcotics Control Bureau and Delhi Police’s Crime Branch had raided a manufacturing facility in an industrial area in Gautam Buddha Nagar in Greater Noida. To their shock, they found a member of the cartel who was present to set up the factory.

The cartel also had operations in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab.

According to officials from anti-narcotics agencies in India, methamphetamine and mephedrone have become a cheaper alternative to cocaine, which sells at an exorbitant price. Besides, transporting cocaine in large quantities from South American nations, including Colombia, involves a tedious process with the smuggling done via sea route.

Sources said that it takes about six months for the consignment, concealed in containers transporting genuine products, to reach India. During transportation, the containers make halts at multiple international ports, increasing the risk of seizure. This risks huge losses with the consignment smuggled in big quantity.

To fill the gap and provide a cheaper product having the same effect, Mencho’s cartel saw huge profit in setting up laboratories in India to manufacture synthetic drugs. Also, chemicals and other precursors required for synthetic drugs are comparatively easily available from unscrupulous license holders and dealers of controlled substances.

Moreover, synthetic drug manufacturing has already been on the rise in the country, with the involvement of many local drug dealers. ‘Being much cheaper than cocaine and at the same time giving a similar kick, the two synthetic drugs currently have a huge market,’ an official from an anti-narcotics agency said.

The profit remains high as the manufacturing cost of these synthetic drugs is low, while the sale price is extravagant. The price of methamphetamine and mephedrone (generally adulterated) is around Rs 2 crore per kg, whereas the same quantity of cocaine costs Rs 6 to Rs 8 crore.

Sources said that the cartels largely smuggle cocaine in small quantities via air route using mules and at times through courier and parcels.