El Mencho case sparks Pablo Escobar film comparisons

After a staggering $15 million bounty, the Mexican military killed El Mencho, whose full name is Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, on February 22. The 59-year-old, who went by his cartel identity, reportedly passed away while being transported to the hospital after sustaining injuries during a military operation.

Since his life has been the subject of multiple films and television shows, pop culture aficionados started drawing comparisons between him and Pablo Escobar after his death was made public. One X user wrote, “They are shooting another Pablo Escobar movie,” speculating that the drug lord’s death and the chaos after the operation might be adapted into an entertainment project.

Another commented on the situation that unfolded after El Mencho passed away, noting that the depiction in projects like El Chapo and many Mexican cartel tales was never an exaggeration. The Netflix original Narcos, Pablo Escobar, The Drug Lord (El Patrón del Mal, 2012), Surviving Escobar: Alias JJ (2017), and other films and television shows have all documented Pablo’s life.

The founder of the Medellin Cartel gained notoriety for allegedly controlling about 80% of the cocaine that was transported illegally into the US. A Colombian police team took him down during a rooftop operation.