At the age of 25 John Davidson was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome – since then he’s campaigned tirelessly, and he’s helped many young people with Tourette’s

A number of people heard “shouting” throughout the BAFTAs tonight which sparked confusion in the ceremony and for those watching along at home – but host Alan Cummings explained an audience-member with Tourette Syndrome was experiencing tics during the ceremony.

Throughout the ceremony, “shut the f**k up,” could be heard during a speech by BAFTA chair Sara Putt, as well as “f**k you,” when the directors of Arco won the Best Children’s and Family film.

Later in the evening, host Alan told the audience: “You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience. Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”

So who was behind the outbursts?

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Who is John Davidson?

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John Davidson first started noticing symptoms aged 12. These include outbursts, tics and swearing. At 16 he starred in the 1989 documentary John’s Not Mad, as the cameras followed him around his home town of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.

It wasn’t until almost ten years later that John was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at the age of 25. Now 54, John has chosen to keep the spotlight on himself to highlight the condition which – and his story is being told in a new film I Swear.

What is Tourette Syndrome?

According to the NHS Tourette syndrome is a condition that causes you to make sudden, repetitive sounds or movements (tics). There is no cure, but treatment can help manage the tics. The main symptom of Tourette syndrome is tics. Tics can involve repetitive sounds (vocal tics) or movements (motor tics) you do not choose to make and cannot control. Tics can be triggered by different things including stress, excitement or tiredness.

The inspiration behind I Swear

John is the inspiration behind the BAFTA nominated movie, I Swear, released last year. The British biographical drama film follows the true story of John Davidson, a Scottish man who became a prominent campaigner for Tourette’s syndrome awareness.

Directed by Kirk Jones, the film features performances from the wider Tourette’s community, including Andrea Bisset, to authentically portray life with the condition. The film was released in the UK on October 10, 2025, following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and focuses on Davidson’s life after the 1989 documentary John’s Not Mad.

he production involved the wider Tourette’s community, featuring performances from real people with the condition to ensure an accurate representation of the experience.

The film has been described as a “brilliantly eye-opening” and “feelgood” film, with praise for its honest portrayal of the condition. The film is noted for its ability to raise awareness while providing a moving account of living with Tourette’s.

Awards won at tonight’s BAFTAs

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I Swear star Robert Aramayo won best actor at this year’s Bafta awards. The actor, who depicted the life of John Davidson, a campaigner for Tourette’s syndrome, was in tears as he collected his award, telling the crowd: “I honestly cannot believe this.”

Earlier in the evening, he also won the Bafta rising star award, given to up-and-coming actors. It marks the first time an actor or actress has won both categories in the same year.

I Swear won three awards tonight, with casting director Lauren Evans adding to its tally by winning best casting, describing the performance from Aramayo as “stellar.”

Follow our live blog for the latest BAFTA updates by clicking here.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is set to invalidate about 1,700 driver’s licenses held by transgender residents and roughly as many birth certificates under a new law that goes beyond Republican-imposed restrictions in other states on listing gender identities in government documents.

The new law takes effect Thursday. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the measure but the Legislature’s GOP supermajorities overrode it last week as Republican state lawmakers across the U.S. have pursued another round of measures to roll back transgender rights.

The bill prohibits documents from listing any sex other than the one assigned birth and invalidates any that reflect a conflicting gender identity. Florida, Tennessee and Texas also don’t allow driver’s licenses to reflect a trans person’s gender identity, and at least eight states besides Kansas have policies that bar trans residents from changing their birth certificates.

But only Kansas’ law requires reversing changes previously made for trans residents. Kansas officials expect to cancel about 1,700 driver’s licenses and issue new birth certificates for up to 1,800 people.

“It tells me that Kansas Republicans are interested in being on the vanguard of the culture war and in a race to the bottom,” said Democratic state Rep. Abi Boatman, a transgender Air Force veteran appointed in January to fill a vacant Wichita seat.

Kansas’ new law enjoyed nearly unanimous GOP support. It is the latest success in what has become an annual effort to further roll back transgender rights by Republicans in statehouses across the U.S., bolstered by policies and rhetoric from President Donald Trump’s administration.

Trump and other Republicans attack research-backed conclusions that gender can change or be fluid as radical “gender ideology.” GOP lawmakers in Kansas regularly describe transgender girls and women as male and as they say they’re protecting women.

Like fellow Republicans, Kansas Senate Majority Leader Chase Blaisi said Trump’s reelection and other GOP victories in 2024 show that voters want “to return to common sense” on gender.

“When I go home, people believe there are just two sexes, male and female,” Blasi said. “It’s basic biology I learned in high school.”

Kelly supports transgender rights, but GOP lawmakers have overridden her vetoes three of the past four years. Kansas bans gender-affirming care for minors and bars transgender women and girls from female sports teams, kindergarten through college.

Transgender people can’t use public restrooms, locker rooms or other single-sex facilities associated with their gender identities, though there was no enforcement mechanism until this year’s law added tough new provisions.

Transgender people have said carrying IDs that misgender them opens them to intrusive questions, harassment and even violence when they show it to police, merchants, and others.

In 2023, Republicans halted changes in Kansas birth certificates and driver’s licenses by enacting a measure ending the state’s legal recognition of trans residents’ gender identities. Though the law didn’t mention either document, it legally defined male and female by a person’s “biological reproductive system” at birth.

However, a lawsuit led to state court decisions that last year permitted driver’s license changes to resume.

Legislators in at least seven other states are considering bills to prevent transgender people from changing one or both documents, according to a search using the bill-tracking software Plural.

But none would reverse past changes.

The extra step by Kansas legislators reinforces a message “that trans people aren’t welcome,” said Anthony Alvarez, a transgender University of Kansas student who works for a pro-LGBTQ rights group.

Kansas is likely to notify transgender residents by mail that their driver’s licenses are no longer valid and they need to go to a local licensing office to get a new one, said Zachary Denney, spokesperson for the agency that issues them.

The Legislature hasn’t earmarked funds to cover the cost, so each person will pay it — $26 for a standard license.

Alvarez already has had four IDs in four years as he’s changed his name, changed his gender marker and turned 21.

He’s always planned to stay in his native Kansas after getting his history degree this spring.

But, he said, “They’re just making it harder and harder for me to live in the state that I love.”

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive arm requested “full clarity” from the United States and asked its trade partner to fulfill its commitments after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down some of President Donald Trump’s most sweeping tariffs.

Trump has lashed out at the court decision and said Saturday that he wants a global tariff of 15%, up from the 10% he announced a day earlier.

The European Commission said the current situation is not conducive to delivering “fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial” trans-Atlantic trade and investment, as agreed to by both sides and spelled out in the EU-U.S. Joint Statement of August 2025.

American and EU officials sealed a trade deal last year that imposes a 15% import tax on 70% of European goods exported to the United States. The European Commission handles trade for the 27 EU member countries.

A top EU lawmaker said on Sunday he will propose to the European Parliament negotiating team to put the ratifying process of the deal on pause.

“Pure tariff chaos on the part of the U.S. administration,” Bernd Lange, the chair of Parliament’s international trade committee, wrote on social media. “No one can make sense of it anymore — only open questions and growing uncertainty for the EU and other U.S. trading partners.”

The value of EU-U.S. trade in goods and services amounted to 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in 2024, or an average of 4.6 billion euros a day, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.

“A deal is a deal,” the European Commission said. “As the United States’ largest trading partner, the EU expects the U.S. to honor its commitments set out in the Joint Statement — just as the EU stands by its commitments. EU products must continue to benefit from the most competitive treatment, with no increases in tariffs beyond the clear and all-inclusive ceiling previously agreed.”

Jamieson Greer, Trump’s top trade negotiator, said in a CBS News interview Sunday morning that the U.S. plans to stand by its trade deals and expects its partners to do the same.

He said he talked to his European counterpart this weekend and hasn’t heard anyone tell him the deal is off.

“The deals were not premised on whether or not the emergency tariff litigation would rise or fall,” Greer said. “I haven’t heard anyone yet come to me and say the deal’s off. They want to see how this plays out.”

Europe’s biggest exports to the U.S. are pharmaceuticals, cars, aircraft, chemicals, medical instruments, and wine and spirits. Among the biggest U.S. exports to the bloc are professional and scientific services like payment systems and cloud infrastructure, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, aerospace products and cars.

“When applied unpredictably, tariffs are inherently disruptive, undermining confidence and stability across global markets and creating further uncertainty across international supply chains,” the commission added.

As primarily a trading bloc, the EU has a powerful tool at its disposal to retaliate — the bloc’s Anti-Coercion Instrument. It includes a raft of measures for blocking or restricting trade and investment from countries found to be putting undue pressure on EU member nations or corporations.

The measures could include curtailing the export and import of goods and services, barring countries or companies from EU public tenders, or limiting foreign direct investment. In its most severe form, it would essentially close off access to the EU’s 450-million customer market and inflict billions of dollars of losses on U.S. companies and the American economy.

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Motorists in England, Scotland and Wales will see the new number plates on the road when they are released from March 1.

They must make sure their own licence plates adhere to specifications in order to be road legal, with a warning that those that do not comply with rules could be hit with a £1,000 fine.

DVLA number plate warning

The DVLA warns: “Number plates (also known as licence plates) must show your registration number correctly. You cannot rearrange letters or numbers, or alter them so that they’re hard to read.

“You could be fined up to £1,000 and your vehicle will fail its MOT test if you drive with incorrectly displayed number plates.”

Is your number plate legal?

These are the rules you should be aware of around licence plates from the DVLA.

The number plates on your vehicle must:

• be made from a reflective material
• display black characters on a white background (front plate)
• display black characters on a yellow background (rear plate)
• not have a background pattern
• be marked to show who supplied the number plate
• be marked with a British Standard number – this is ‘BS AU 145e’ for plates fitted after 1 September 2021

The characters must not be removable or reflective. If your number plates were fitted after 1 September 2021, they must also be a single shade of black.

Your number plates can also:

• have 3D (raised) characters
• display certain flags, symbols and identifiers
• display a green flash, if you have a zero-emission vehicle

Graham Conway, Managing Director at Select Car Leasing , said: “Characters must not be removable or reflective, however, your number plates can have 3D (raised) characters, display certain flags, symbols and identifiers and display a green flash, if you have a zero-emission vehicle.

“It’s important to drivers to understand the nuances of what’s required for their licence plates as even the smallest modifications could make it illegal. For example, 3D characters are allowed on licence plates, but if the raised letters are not black or have a reflective coating on them, this could make them illegal.

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“It’s also important for drivers to understand that any modifications around their licence plate, that could make it unreadable, are also considered illegal.

“For example, licence plate lights must be white – not tinted blue or any other colour – and need to illuminate the plate evenly without causing any shadows. The bulbs themselves must not be visible.

“Failure to meet these requirements can result in fines of up to £1,000, as well as an MOT failure for the vehicle.

“Motorists looking to replace or customise their plates should only buy from DVLA-registered suppliers who follow the legal guidelines. Plates that feature illegal fonts, incorrect spacing, tinted backgrounds, or missing supplier information can all lead to penalties.

“For those unsure whether their plates comply, checking with a reputable supplier or consulting DVLA guidelines is the safest way to avoid unnecessary fines or complications.”

White House insiders claim Trump is considering the use of a targeted strike on Iran as negotiators are scheduled to meet on Thursday, with a second much larger assault to topple the country’s leaders

President Trump has said he is planning a massive strike on Iran, intended to drive the leadership from power.

Negotiators from the US and Iran are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Thursday in a last-ditch attempt to avoid military conflict.

However, Trump insiders have said the president is weighing plans to conduct an initial strike in the coming days, if negotiations fail, to demonstrate to Iran’s leaders that they have no choice about giving up their ability to make a nuclear bomb.

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If negotiations, and Trump’s proposed initial strike, fail to convince Iran’s religious leadership to scrap their nuke plans – then the US president has left open the possibility of a much larger military assault later this year to topple Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, the New York Times reports.

There are doubts about whether that goal could be achieved with air strikes alone, even within the Trump administration. Though no final decisions have been made, insiders said, the news comes as two massive aircraft carrier strike groups, with dozens of fighter jets, bomber and refuelling aircraft mass within striking distance of Iran.

Mr Trump discussed plans for strikes on Iran at a meeting in the White House situation room on Wednesday with vice president JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, General Dan Caine and the head of the CIA John Ratcliffe.

Sources with knowledge of the meeting said that Trump had asked the general what the army could do with the current forces in the area. General Caine was not able to promise success in any attack on Iran, sources said, unlike previous discussions about operations inside Venezuela where he had been much more confident.

Earlier the US had been considering using special forces raids to destroy Iranian manufacturing and enrichment facilities inside Iran, some of which are buried deep underground beyond the reach of airstrikes, the Times reported. However these planned commando raids were said to have been shelved for now.

Iranian officials have said they are not willing to give up their ability to enrich uranium, while Trump’s chief negotiators have said the president is unwilling to accept anything other than a full end of all enrichment operations in Iran.

However a new proposal may allow both sides to save face. A new proposal is reportedly being considered by both sides that would allow Iran to maintain a very limited nuclear enrichment programme solely for purposes of medical research and treatments in the hopes the deal could provide an off-ramp to military conflict.

This would allow the US to claim all Iranian military uranium enrichment has been stopped, while Iran could claim it has been allowed to keep some research reactors.

Mr Trump’s “vast armada” of aircraft carriers, aircraft and naval vessels represents the largest buildup of US armed forces in the area since the start of the Iraq war.

Travellers in the southwest Mexico state of Jalisco have been warned to stay indoors as violence erupted following the killing of a drug cartel kingpin. Footage on social media shows airline passengers seeking cover as Guadalajara airport comes under attack.

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the formidable leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed during a Mexican military operation with US assistance in the town of Tapalpa.

In the wake of the killing of the man widely known as “El Mencho”, violence has erupted in revenge across the state.

The Foreign Office is warning: “Serious security incidents have been reported on 22 February across the state of Jalisco, including in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, following a federal law-enforcement operation against organised crime in the municipality of Tapalpa.

“Authorities in Puerto Vallarta have issued a public advisory to stay indoors. Routes to airports may be blocked. Incidents are also being reported in other parts of the country. You should exercise extreme caution, follow local authorities’ advice, including orders to stay indoors and avoid non‑essential travel in affected areas.”

The US Embassy in Mexico City urged American citizens throughout the state of Jalisco as well as some other parts of the country to “shelter in place until further notice”. The security alert warned of “ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity”.

Many flights to the airports in the popular Pacific resort of Puerto Vallarta and the World Cup 2026 host city of Guadalajara diverted and cancelled.

At least 30 flights departing from US, Mexican and Canadian airports for Puerto Vallarta have either returned to their starting points or diverted to other airports. Dozens more have been cancelled. As a result, many thousands of tourists in the Pacific resort who were expecting to leave on Sunday are stranded.

Puerto Vallarta airport posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) saying: “By decision of the airlines, today, Sunday, February 22, 2026, all international operations and most of the domestic flights have been canceled.

“We urge passengers and users to remain calm and follow all instructions provided by airport personnel at all times.”

The statement added: “The situations reported in various parts of the state did not impact the airport’s internal operations or the safety within its facilities.

“The airport is under the protection of personnel from the National Guard (GN) and the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena), as part of ongoing coordination efforts with federal authorities.”

Air Canada posted a message to passengers on X, saying: “Due to an ongoing security situation in Puerto Vallarta impacting the airport, Air Canada has temporarily suspended operations there today. We are monitoring the situation and in contact with local authorities who are working to resolve the issue.

“Customers are advised not to attempt to go to the airport unless their flight is shown as operating on aircanada.com, and will be directly notified of changes to their itineraries. We will share more information as soon as it becomes available.”

An expert on Latin America at the conflict monitoring group Acled warned of further instability.

Sandra Pellegrini said: “The killing of CJNG leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes marks a significant operational development for Mexican forces, but the reported immediate highway blockades and arson attacks show how quickly cartels can mobilise retaliation to demonstrate continued control.

“Past cases suggest leadership removals rarely reduce violence long term, and instead often trigger instability as factions compete for power.”

The latest warning does not affect the main resorts for British holidaymakers on the Caribbean coast, notably Cancun. The upsurge in violence is taking place 1,000 miles away.

The only cancellations at Cancun airport are to and from Guadalajara because of the security situation – and also some flights serving the New York area due to extreme winter weather in the northeast US. Sunday flights on Tui from Manchester and Birmingham, British Airways from Gatwick and Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow are all operating normally.

But the Foreign Office updated its advice late on Sunday to warn: “Security incidents have also been reported in other parts of Mexico. As the situation develops, wherever you are in Mexico, you should stay alert and follow local security advice.”

The FCDO already warns against travel to many parts of Mexico because of drug-related violence. The official advice says: “Drug-related violence in Mexico has increased over recent years. Do not become involved with drugs of any kind.

“Some areas of Mexico have a high crime rate due to fighting between rival organised crime gangs. In these areas, there is a risk of being caught in the crossfire or of being mistaken for a gang member.”

Read more: The countries on the Foreign Office “do not travel” list

On Saturday, Frenchman Fofana wrote: “2026, it’s still the same thing, nothing changes. These people are never punished.

“You create big campaigns against racism, but nobody actually does anything.”

Tunisia international Mejbri, 23, called on people to “educate yourself and your kids”.

These latest incidences of racist abuse towards players follow the alleged racial abuse of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr during last week’s Champions League knockout round play-off tie at Benfica, which Uefa is investigating.

In a statement earlier on Sunday, anti-discrimination group Kick It Out said: “Players are standing up to discrimination, and we’ve had record reports to Kick It Out from across football this season, but we recognise the frustration in how it continues to fester online.

“Words matter, but actions are more important. Football is working together to tackle this issue alongside the UK Football Policing Unit and Ofcom, but social media companies must do more to offer protections to players and help improve accountability when incidents occur.

“Those who face this disgusting abuse must always be the priority.”

Responding to the Fofana and Mejbri abuse, a spokesperson for Meta told BBC Sport: “No-one should be subjected to racist abuse, and we remove this content when we find it.

“No one thing will stop racist behaviour overnight, but we’ll continue working to protect our community from abuse and co-operate with police investigations.”

Last November, a BBC investigation found more than 2,000 extremely abusive social media posts – including death and rape threats – were sent about managers and players in the Premier League and Women’s Super League in a single weekend.

The season-opening Premier League game between Liverpool and Bournemouth last August was stopped in the first half after then-Cherries forward Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused by someone in the Anfield crowd.

A Liverpool man has denied the abuse and his trial is scheduled to take place in April.

In January, Newcastle United said they had contacted the police after midfielder Joe Willock was the subject of “disgusting” racial abuse and “deeply disturbing threats” on social media.

Tottenham forward Mathys Tel was also the subject of racist abuse on social media after being one of two Spurs players to miss in their Super Cup penalty shootout defeat by Paris St-Germain in August.

England defender Jess Carter was another target of racist abuse during Euro 2025 in July.

And England internationals Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were all subjected to racism in the aftermath of the Euro 2020 final, which the Three Lions lost to Italy in a penalty shootout.

The Auckland Project has received the go-ahead from the council for three self-contained short-term holiday flats at Roper House, Market Place.

Plans include minor changes to the building’s interior and exterior, which is listed as Grade II.

It also includes small changes to the car park and the installation of new entrance gates.

Currently vacant, the 342-square-metre site will not increase in size, with the three proposed flats utilising the existing floorspace.

Provision for three existing car spaces will be retained, with proposals for three additional bike spaces.

Durham County Council gave the green light for the development on February 19.

It must only be used for commercial holiday purposes only and no single let can exceed 31 days.

Holiday lets will also have to maintain an occupancy record for Local Planning Authority inspections.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho, ” on Sunday, decapitating what had become Mexico’s most powerful cartel and giving the government its biggest prize yet to show the Trump administration its efforts.

Oseguera Cervantes was wounded in an operation to capture him Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara and he died while being flown to Mexico City, the Defense Department said in a statement. The state is the base of the cartel known for trafficking huge quantities of fentanyl and other drugs to the United States.

During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died, the statement said. Two others were arrested and armored vehicles, rocket launchers and other arms were seized. Three members of the armed forces were wounded and receiving medical treatment.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said on X that the operation was carried out by Mexican special forces “within the framework of bilateral cooperation, with U.S. authorities providing complementary intelligence.”

Roadblocks and burning vehicles

The killing of the powerful drug lord set off several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles in Jalisco and other states. Such tactics are commonly used by the cartels to block military operations. Jalisco canceled school in the state for Monday.

Videos circulating on social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, and people sprinting through the airport of the state’s capital in panic. On Sunday afternoon, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta “due to an ongoing security situation” and advised customers not to go to their airport.

In Guadalajara, the state capital, burning vehicles blocked roads. Mexico’s second-largest city is scheduled to host matches during this summer’s soccer World Cup.

The U.S. State Department warned U.S. citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon states to remain in safe places due to the ongoing security operations. Canada’s embassy in Mexico warned its citizens in Puerto Vallarta to shelter in place and generally to keep a low profile in Jalisco.

Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus told residents to stay at home and suspended public transportation.

US had offered up to $15 million for his capture

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG, is one of the most powerful and fastest growing criminal organizations in Mexico and was born in 2009.

In February, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, like her predecessor, has criticized the “kingpin” strategy of previous administrations that took out cartel leaders only to trigger explosions of violence as cartels fractured. While she has remained popular in Mexico, security is a persistent concern and since U.S. President Donald Trump took office a year ago, she has been under tremendous pressure to show results against drug trafficking.

On Sunday, Sheinbaum applauded Mexican security forces and called for calm in a post on X.

A Jalisco state official who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly said that a member of the National Guard died in Tapalpa during the operation, a jail guard was killed at a lockup in Puerto Vallarta when prisoners rioted, and an agent from the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office was killed in Guadalajara. Details were not immediately available.

Known as an aggressive cartel

The Jalisco cartel has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military — including on helicopters — and is a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital’s police force and now federal security secretary.

The DEA considers the cartel to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico’s most infamous criminal groups, with a presence in all 50 U.S. states. It is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the U.S. market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines. Sinaloa, however, has been weakened by infighting after the loss of its leaders Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, both in U.S. custody.

Oseguera Cervantes, 59, was originally from Aguililla in the neighboring state of Michoacan. He had been significantly involved in drug trafficking activities since the 1990s. When he was younger, he migrated to the U.S. where he was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 1994 and served nearly three years in prison.

Following his release from custody, Oseguera Cervantes returned to Mexico and reengaged in drug trafficking activity with drug lord Ignacio Coronel Villarreal, alias “Nacho Coronel.” After Villarreal’s death, Oseguera Cervantes and Erik Valencia Salazar, alias “El 85,” created the Jalisco New Generation Cartel around 2007.

Initially, they worked for the Sinaloa Cartel, but eventually split and for years the two cartels have battled for territory across Mexico.

Indicted several times in the United States

Since 2017, Oseguera Cervantes has been indicted several times in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

The most recent superseding indictment, filed on April 5, 2022, charges Oseguera Cervantes with conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances (methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl) for the purpose of illegal importation into the United States and use of firearms during and in connection with drug trafficking offenses. Oseguera Cervantes is also charged under the Drug Kingpin Enforcement Act for directing a continuing criminal enterprise.

Last year, people searching for missing relatives founds piles of shoes and other clothing, as well as bone fragments at what authorities later said was a Jalisco cartel recruitment and training site.

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Associated Press writer María Verza contributed to this report.