By Natalia Siniawski and Jose Luis Gonzalez
TAPALPA, Mexico, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Feared Mexican cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, or “El Mencho,” spent his final hours in a luxury villa tucked inside the exclusive Tapalpa Country Club, a gated enclave of weekend homes in the hills of Mexico’s western state of Jalisco.
The two-storey residence at No. 39 with stone walls and a red-tiled roof served as a discreet hideout for the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), who died on Sunday after a military ambush in the woods behind the home.
Authorities had been led to the tranquil cluster of countryside vacation homes from a tip tied to Oseguera’s lover.
MESSY KITCHEN, PAINKILLERS, CATHOLIC FIGURINES
Photos seen by Reuters on Tuesday show spacious rooms with sleek modern finishes and wide windows looking over manicured grass yards. The contents range from an array of common painkillers and medicines to religious items and a sloppy kitchen.
Takeout containers littered the kitchen counter alongside a container of spoiled strawberries, a bottle of sriracha sauce, milk cartons and water bottles. A carton each of potatoes and tomatoes sat on the floor.
A wardrobe in a large bedroom contained a few neatly folded clothes, and a row of skincare products and perfume on a shelf. Several containers of baby wipes were in a lower drawer.
Cabinets in one room were packed with treatments for an array of maladies, including migraines, insomnia, acid reflux and fungal infections, alongside a face roller. A cloth bore the logo of Mayorquin, a high-end jewelry boutique in Guadalajara, Jalisco’s capital.
Vials of Tationil Plus, an antioxidant marketed for cellular protection, were found next to a dosage schedule in a freezer.
On a dining room table was a small box wrapped in a bright red bow.
Figurines of Catholic saints were displayed on a makeshift altar, including Mexico’s patroness, the Virgin of Guadalupe, and the patron of lost causes, Saint Jude Thaddeus. A Bible passage asserting trust in God was handwritten on a white sheet of paper.
The villa is in Tapalpa, known for ecotourism, pine forests and weekend homes clustered near a golf course and a lake.
On Tuesday, a gardener tended to the plants in the entrance to the community, and plantations of agave plants used to produce Mexico’s famed tequila could be seen in the distance.
Burned-out cars and trucks sat on some of the roads encircling the compound, following a siege-like raid by the military on Sunday.
Oseguera tried to flee through the back garden of his home to a wooded hillside. He was hit by gunfire during the pursuit and died of his injuries while being airlifted away, Mexican authorities said.
Despite its postcard image, Tapalpa has drawn international scrutiny before. A decade ago, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on several businesses in the area, alleging they were used to launder money for the CJNG and its financial arm, Los Cuinis.
(Reporting by Natalia Siniawski in Mexico City, Editing by Daina Solomon, Rod Nickel)
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