Chaos Erupts In Western Mexico After Cartel Kingpin “El Mencho” Killed In Military Raid
Violence broke out across parts of western Mexico on Sunday after Mexican special forces killed Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the longtime leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, in a high level military operation carried out with reported U.S. cooperation.
Mexican authorities said Oseguera was killed during a raid in Tapalpa, Jalisco. He had long been considered one of the most powerful and dangerous drug traffickers in the world. According to the Mexican Embassy in Washington, the United States provided complementary intelligence as part of bilateral coordination efforts.
In the hours following the operation, cartel members launched retaliatory attacks in Jalisco, Michoacán, and Guanajuato. Buses were set on fire and roadblocks were erected in multiple cities, prompting Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro to close schools statewide as a precaution.
The U.S. State Department urged American citizens in Jalisco, including in tourist destinations such as Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, and Chapala, to shelter in place. Similar advisories were extended to parts of Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Guerrero, and Nuevo León. Video circulating online appeared to show fires in a parking lot near a Costco in Puerto Vallarta.
Oseguera had been one of the most wanted fugitives in Mexico and the United States. Mexico offered a reward of 30 million pesos for information leading to his capture, while the U.S. posted a 15 million dollar reward. The Drug Enforcement Administration previously described the CJNG as one of the most ruthless criminal organizations in Mexico and a major supplier of fentanyl and cocaine into the United States.
In 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Oseguera with leading efforts to manufacture and distribute fentanyl for import into the United States. The Trump administration later designated the CJNG a Foreign Terrorist Organization as part of its broader crackdown on transnational criminal groups.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau called the development a major victory, saying one of the bloodiest and most ruthless kingpins had been eliminated. Former DEA official Derek Maltz said Oseguera had been public enemy number one for years and credited ongoing intelligence sharing between U.S. and Mexican authorities.
Mexican officials said air force aircraft and special forces units participated in the raid and came under fire during the operation. Four cartel members were killed at the scene, while three others, including Oseguera, reportedly died during medical evacuation. Authorities seized armored vehicles and heavy weapons, including rocket launchers. Three Mexican security personnel were injured.
The operation marks one of the most significant blows to cartel leadership in recent years and comes amid intensified cooperation between President Trump’s administration and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in targeting cartel networks and fentanyl trafficking.