Hugo Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán, alias “El Sapo” or “El 090,” is identified by a witness for the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) as the most likely successor to Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
According to the investigation file FED/FEMDO/FEITATAJAL/0001023/2024, reviewed by Reforma, a protected witness for the FGR, a former member of the FARC’s 30th Front and Mendoza Gaytán’s personal bodyguard, testified before the FGR that “when ‘El Mencho’ is gone, ‘El 090’ will take over everything, because he’s the boss’s favorite; he knows how to navigate the cartel.”
In his testimony, the informant—identified as “Pisces”—detailed that Mendoza Gaytán is considered the most violent operative and was “El Mencho’s” most trusted man, even more so than other visible leaders within the organization.
The witness also emphasized “El Sapo’s” extreme secrecy, noting that he avoids using telephones and only communicates through intermediaries he trusts implicitly. According to the investigation, this practice is part of the internal discipline he demands of his inner circle, as any leak or betrayal is punished with reprisals against the informant’s family.
