El Chema is an American telenovela produced by Telemundo. It is a spin-off of the telenovela El Señor de los Cielos. The series is starring Mauricio Ochmann as "El Chema". El Chema tells the story of how Chema Venegas (Ochmann) got his start in organized crime and rose through the ranks to become the head of the cartel he runs in "El Señor de los Cielos." El Chema began breaking the law at a young age, transporting marijuana across the US-Mexican border when he was just a boy. Little by little, he worked his way up to become a successful and skillful leader, earning his place through bloodshed and brutality, in the history of drug trafficking. Since he was a young man, El Chema has been one of the most important public enemies of both the U.S and Mexican governments.