How Mexico Killed Drug Lord El Mencho: A Raid That Triggered Nationwide Unrest By Cartel Gunmen

Last Updated:February 23, 2026, 11:25 IST

Mexican security forces killed Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes during a military operation in Jalisco, triggering clashes and retaliatory violence by cartel members.

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the powerful head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), also known as “El Mencho," was killed during a Mexican military operation in Jalisco state on Sunday after federal forces attempted to capture him, sparking a violent backlash by cartel members across several regions.

The killing of one of the United States’ most wanted fugitives marks a major moment in Mexico’s fight against organised crime, though authorities and analysts warn the aftermath remains uncertain.

Mexico’s Defence Department said the army launched a coordinated operation in southern Jalisco involving special forces and the Mexican Air Force with the objective of arresting Oseguera Cervantes.

Security forces tracked the cartel leader to the town of Tapalpa, where CJNG gunmen engaged troops in a firefight as they attempted to prevent his capture.

During the confrontation, four members of the criminal group, including Oseguera Cervantes, were fatally wounded, authorities said.

Oseguera Cervantes and two other suspects were severely injured during the clash and died while being transported by aircraft to Mexico City.

Three Mexican soldiers were wounded in the operation and evacuated for treatment, while two individuals were detained.

Officials also recovered heavy weaponry at the scene, including rocket launchers capable of destroying armoured vehicles and shooting down aircraft, underscoring the cartel’s military-style capabilities.

CARTEL RETALIATION TRIGGERS VIOLENCE

News of the cartel leader’s death was followed by coordinated retaliatory violence attributed to CJNG members.

Vehicles were burnt, and multiple highways across Mexican states were blocked, disrupting transportation networks.

Residents in Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco and Mexico’s second-largest city, sheltered indoors as tensions escalated.

Schools were closed in several states, and security forces were placed on alert nationwide.

The unrest began in Jalisco and spread to neighbouring states, including Michoacan and Guanajuato, where suspected cartel members set buses on fire, erected road blockades and clashed with authorities.

Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro urged residents to remain at home and announced the suspension of public transport services until security conditions improved.

Guatemala also reinforced security along its border with Mexico following the violence.

GOVERNMENT APPEALS FOR CALM

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo called on citizens to remain calm as authorities responded to the unrest.

In a post on X, she said the operation had resulted in “various blockades and other reactions" but stressed that normal activities continued across most of the country.

“There is absolute coordination with the governments of all states; we must remain informed and calm," she said, while commending the Mexican Army, Guard and Security Cabinet for their response.

WHO WAS ‘EL MENCHO’?

Oseguera Cervantes, 59, originated from the western state of Michoacán and had been involved in organised crime for more than three decades.

After serving a prison sentence in the United States in the 1990s for heroin trafficking, he returned to Mexico and rose rapidly through the criminal underworld.

Around 2009, he founded the CJNG, which grew into Mexico’s fastest-expanding cartel, trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and migrants into the United States.

The organisation became notorious for adopting new methods of violence, including drones and improvised explosive devices.

The cartel also carried out brazen attacks against Mexican security forces, including downing a military helicopter in 2015 and attempting to assassinate then-Mexico City police chief Omar García Harfuch.

INTERNATIONAL DIMENSIONS AND INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT

Intelligence cooperation between Mexico and the United States played a role in locating the cartel leader.

Oseguera Cervantes faced multiple indictments in the United States, which had offered a USD 15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau praised the operation on X, writing, “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 US Drug Enforcement Administration, told AP the operation sent “a strong message" that Mexico was confronting powerful cartels effectively, adding that “the majority of the information came from the Mexican armed forces."

While Mexican authorities have described the killing as a significant operational victory, analysts say the coming period will determine whether the death of “El Mencho" weakens the cartel or ushers in a new phase of violence, the Associated Press reported.

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