Drug kingpin El Mencho’s wife arrested as net closes on ‘uncatchable’ cartel chief even more savage than El Chapo

THE wife of drugs kingpin El Mencho has been arrested as the net closes in on the “uncatchable” drugs lord, dubbed even more savage than El Chapo.

Rosalinda González Valencia was captured by the Mexican army on Monday on money laundering charges in relation to her spouse’s bloodthirsty empire.

Rosalinda González Valencia, pictured reportedly being detained in 2018, was arrested on Monday by the Mexican army

WikipediaHer husband El Mencho rules the ruthless Jalisco New Generation Cartel[/caption]

She stands accused of being the economic brains and banker behind El Mencho’s vicious Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

The mum was arrested in the affluent Guadalajara suburb and shipped off to a prison over 350 miles away in the state of Morelos, as authorities feared her husband’s henchmen would try to free her.

It comes after her brothers and two of her children were apprehended as officials close in on the leaders of the infamous Mexican mob.

The family are accused of laundering drug proceeds through various businesses including construction, real estate, a clothing store, a bakery and an organic products company.

The cartel’s main source of income comes from trafficking drugs into the United States – particularly methamphetamine and fentanyl, according to reports.

Mexican authorities said they hope González Valencia’s capture will pose “a significant blow to the financial structure of organized crime in the state”.

Her husband, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes – better known as El Mencho – remains on the run with an extraordinary $10million bounty on his head from the US government.

The brutal drugs boss in charge of the CJNG has rattled investigators for years with his “hyperviolent and extremely cunning” methods, that rival those of the elusive El Chapo.

His rise has been accompanied by a shocking savagery that has been compared to the brutal acts committed by terrorist group ISIS.

It has included ripping out victims’ hearts, dissolving their bodies in barrels of acid, publicly hanging enemies, and even targeting pregnant women.

Among its ranks are glamourous women killers such as La Catrina, who died in a shoot-out with cops.

Their private criminal security force is seen as even a challenge to the Mexican Army, with ministers having to deny they consider them a danger.

But it seems authorities could be closing in on the family enterprise, as El Mencho and González Valencia’s children have already been apprehended.

Their son Rubén Oseguera González, known as El Menchito, was arrested in 2015 on drug trafficking charges and is awaiting trial in the US.

And his sister Jessica Oseguera González, known as La Negra, joined him behind bars when she went to visit him and was arrested on money laundering charges.

But it isn’t the first time their mother González Valencia has been imprisoned.

Footage supposedly showing her arrest in May 2018 was widely shared on social media, but she was later released after putting up 1.5m pesos (£58,000) for bail.

The CJNG have previously staged elaborate ambushes and even engaged in shootouts on the streets to try and free cartel members after their arrests.

According to legendary narco cop Mike Vigil, El Mencho’s $1billion empire easily rivals that of El Chapo.

The world-leading cartel expert and former chief of international operations for the DEA previously told The Sun: “Make no mistake about it El Mencho is deadlier than a rattlesnake – and totally more deadly than El Chapo.”

He also warned the kingpin will be “heavily protected” by his loyal cartel members “that will engage with the Mexican security forces,” and that El Mencho “always has an escape plan”.

El Mencho teamed up with his brother-in-law, Jose Gonzalez-Valencia, the head of the Los Cuinis drug-trafficking organisation (DTO) to create a drugs dynasty.

The brutal turf wars El Mencho has fought with rivals, in particular with the Sinaloa cartel, has seen beheaded corpses hanged of bridges as a warning to others.

Chilling footage showed a rival gangster tied up in his underpants shortly before being slaughtered and his body then found hanging from a bridge.

But just last week Gonzalez-Valencia was extradited from Brazil to the US to face charges of international drug trafficking.

The US defence department labelled both gangs as among the “most dangerous” and most “prolific drug cartels in Mexico”.

They said the groups “have been and continue to be responsible for trafficking ton quantities of illegal drugs into the United States and employing extreme violence to further that objective.”

US authorities have indicted El Mencho on charges of drug trafficking, corruption and murder.

It seems authorities are closing in on the family-run drugs empire