Mexican security forces, with collaboration from the United States, killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) during a military operation Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco. The operation marks a significant blow to one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations.
Oseguera Cervantes, 59, was wounded during the raid and died while being transported by air to Mexico City, according to a statement from the Mexican Ministry of Defense. Two other CJNG members died in the operation, and three were critically injured. Authorities also arrested two additional cartel members and seized weaponry, including armored vehicles and rocket launchers capable of downing aircraft.
The operation involved specialized forces from the Mexican Army, intelligence gathered by the National Intelligence Center (CNI) and the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), and support from the U.S. Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel (JITF-CC) under the U.S. Northern Command, according to the Ministry of Defense. The U.S. Provided intelligence for the operation, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, calling El Mencho “an infamous drug trafficker and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel” and “one of the primary targets of both the Mexican and U.S. Governments, as he was a major fentanyl trafficker” into the United States.
The death of El Mencho triggered a wave of violence across Mexico. Cartel members responded by setting vehicles ablaze and blocking roads in nearly a dozen states, turning Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, into a “ghost town” Sunday night, according to reports. Authorities have since cleared most of the over 250 roadblocks erected across 20 states. Several states canceled school Monday, and authorities urged citizens to remain indoors.
During the clashes following the operation, 25 members of the National Guard were killed in six separate attacks in Jalisco, according to Mexican authorities. One attack targeted a National Guard base in San Juan de los Lagos, where most of the personnel were killed, and one officer survived despite a grenade becoming lodged in his body. Three federal security personnel were also injured and transported to Mexico City for medical treatment.
President Claudia Sheinbaum called for calm and acknowledged the work of the Armed Forces. Security forces from across the country were deployed to reinforce security in Jalisco. Ambulances, reportedly carrying El Mencho’s body, were escorted by heavily armed National Guard units.
The CJNG, based in Jalisco, is known for trafficking large quantities of fentanyl and other drugs to the United States. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau described El Mencho as “one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins.”
Former President Trump called on Mexico to increase its efforts against drug cartels following the raid, posting on social media, “Mexico must step up their effort on Cartels and Drugs!”