Mexican security forces killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), during a military operation in Jalisco state on Sunday, February 22, 2026, triggering a wave of retaliatory violence across Mexico. The operation, which involved the Mexican air force and special forces, represents the most significant blow against a Mexican drug cartel since the recapture of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán a decade ago, according to Mexican officials.
Following the operation, cartel members responded by setting vehicles ablaze and blocking roads in at least 20 Mexican states, disrupting transportation and prompting widespread fear among residents. In Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, residents largely remained indoors, and schools were closed in several states on Monday, February 23, 2026, as a precaution.
Oseguera Cervantes, 59, known as “El Mencho,” founded the CJNG around 2009. The cartel quickly became one of Mexico’s fastest-growing criminal organizations, trafficking cocaine, methamphetamines, fentanyl, and migrants to the United States. The CJNG gained notoriety for its brazen attacks on Mexican security forces, including the downing of a military helicopter in 2015 and a 2020 attempt to assassinate Mexico City Police Chief Omar García Harfuch, who now serves as Mexico’s federal security secretary.
According to Mexico’s Defence Secretary Ricardo Trevilla, intelligence gathered regarding one of Oseguera Cervantes’ romantic partners led authorities to his hideout. During the attempt to capture him, federal forces engaged in a firefight with cartel members, resulting in the deaths of eight CJNG operatives. Oseguera Cervantes and two of his bodyguards were wounded during the confrontation and later died even as being transported by air to Mexico City. Rocket launchers capable of destroying armored vehicles were seized at the scene, Trevilla stated.
The United States had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to Oseguera Cervantes’ arrest. He faced multiple indictments in the US, and the Trump administration had previously designated the CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization. US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau applauded the operation via X, stating, “The good guys are stronger than the bad guys. Congratulations to the forces of law and order in the great Mexican nation.”
Mike Vigil, former chief of international operations for the DEA, suggested the operation was intended to demonstrate Mexico’s commitment to combating drug cartels to the US administration. He added that the majority of the intelligence used in the operation originated from Mexican armed forces.
The death of Oseguera Cervantes creates a power vacuum within the CJNG, which has a presence in at least 21 of Mexico’s 32 states and operates extensively in the United States, according to the DEA. It remains unclear who will succeed him, or whether a single individual can consolidate control. Vigil suggested that the cartel’s rapid growth and expansion could be slowed by his absence, potentially weakening its position against rival cartels, particularly the Sinaloa cartel, which is currently experiencing its own internal power struggles.
Security analyst David Saucedo cautioned that the violence seen on Sunday could continue if relatives of Oseguera Cervantes assume control of the cartel. He also warned of the possibility of the CJNG resorting to indiscriminate violence, potentially mirroring the “narcoterrorism” tactics employed in Colombia during the 1990s, including car bombings and attacks on aircraft.
