Mexico Eliminates CJNG Chief El Mencho, Cartel Retaliates with Nationwide Violence

One of the most sought-after drug traffickers in the world, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho”, was killed on Sunday during a Mexican military operation in the western state of Jalisco. Mexico’s defence ministry confirmed that special forces moved to capture the 59-year-old leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, but came under attack. In the ensuing confrontation, four cartel members were killed on the spot and three others were wounded, including Oseguera Cervantes, who later died while being airlifted to Mexico City. Two suspects were detained. Weapons seized at the scene included rocket launchers capable of downing aircraft and destroying armoured vehicles. Three soldiers were injured during the raid.

The operation, which involved army units, the national guard, the air force and military intelligence, took place in Tapalpa, about 80 miles south-west of Guadalajara, in the Sierra Madre mountains. Authorities said US agencies provided complementary intelligence. The US embassy in Mexico described the mission as part of bilateral cooperation, while a US defence official told Reuters that the Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel had played a role in gathering intelligence. The task force was established last year to map cartel networks on both sides of the border.

El Mencho’s death triggered an immediate and coordinated backlash. Cartel gunmen set up roadblocks using burning cars, buses and trucks across at least eight states, including Jalisco, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Michoacán, Colima, Guerrero, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas. In some accounts, disruptions were reported in as many as 20 states. Thick smoke rose above Puerto Vallarta, while in Guadalajara armed men torched vehicles and even set fire to a petrol station. Panicked passengers at the city’s airport ran for cover amid fears of reprisals. By nightfall, parts of Guadalajara had emptied as residents stayed indoors. Schools were closed in several regions, and public transport was suspended in Jalisco. Even Guatemala reinforced security along its border with Mexico.

Casualty reports expanded as the day progressed. A Jalisco state official told the Associated Press that a member of the National Guard died in Tapalpa, six more guardsmen were killed in Zapopan, a prison guard lost his life during a riot in Puerto Vallarta, and an agent from the state prosecutor’s office was killed in Guadalajara. Further details were not immediately disclosed.

International travel was also affected. US and Canadian airlines cancelled dozens of flights. Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta due to the unfolding security situation and advised passengers not to head to the airport. The US embassy issued a security alert urging American citizens in several states to shelter in place, while Canada warned of shootings, explosions and rapidly changing conditions.

Oseguera Cervantes had built the Jalisco cartel into Mexico’s most powerful criminal organisation since founding it around 2009. Though less globally notorious than the Sinaloa Cartel once led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the CJNG became infamous domestically for extreme violence and heavy weaponry. It trafficked cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the United States, diversified into fuel theft and extortion, and pioneered the use of drones and improvised explosive devices. The group previously downed a military helicopter in 2015 and attempted to assassinate senior security official Omar García Harfuch.

The United States had offered a $15 million reward for El Mencho’s capture and designated his cartel, along with others, as a foreign terrorist organisation. Senior US officials praised the outcome. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau described him as one of the bloodiest and most ruthless kingpins, calling the killing a significant development. The operation comes after months of pressure from President Donald Trump over drug trafficking and migration across the nearly 2,000-mile border.

Analysts view the killing as the most significant blow to Mexico’s cartels in more than a decade, comparable to the recapture of Guzmán. Whether it reshapes the criminal landscape remains uncertain. The cartel operates in at least 21 of Mexico’s 32 states and across much of the United States, giving it deep structural resilience. Former DEA official Mike Vigil said the action sends a strong signal of cooperation between Mexico and Washington, while security analyst David Saucedo warned that succession battles or consolidation by family members could determine whether violence intensifies or subsides.

President Claudia Sheinbaum called for calm, stressing coordination among federal and state authorities and assuring citizens that most of the country was functioning normally. For now, however, the country is confronting the immediate shock of losing one of the hemisphere’s most powerful and feared crime bosses, and the uncertainty that follows his fall.