The first person named as Public Enemy Number One was Chicago’s notorious Al Capone. The designation shifted a few years later to John Dillinger (who also had Chicago connections), “Pretty Boy” Floyd, “Baby Face” Nelson and others.
The latest to receive the dubious honor is “El Mencho,” alleged to be at the very top of drug trafficking in Chicago.
Nemesio Ruben Oseguera-Cervantes is not in the Windy City, however. The reputed drug lord is believed to live in various locations in Mexico. Cervantes, 52, is said to lead the New Generation cartel.
Cervantes was named in federal indictments by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who also announced a $10 million reward for the capture of the alleged drug distribution mastermind. Cervantes was named as our city’s Public Enemy Number One earlier this year by officials in the federal government’s Drug Enforcement Administration.
El Mencho also faces drug trafficking charges in Mississippi and Washington, D.C. Officials believe his organization is headquartered near Tijuana, Mexico, along the border with California. Federal law enforcement says the organization is battling the Sinaloa cartel for control of area drug trafficking.
Sessions said the New Generation cartel is “one of the five most dangerous trans-national criminal organizations on the face of the earth.” The group was founded seven years ago, according to U.S. drug agents, and has grown in part because of its organizational discipline.
Those facing federal charges of drug manufacturing or drug distribution should speak with a skilled criminal defense attorney before speaking with prosecutors or investigators.
