Mexican military kills drug cartel boss in US-backed raid

One of Mexico's most notorious drug lords, Nemesio Oseguera, or "El Mencho," was killed in a military raid, sparking widespread retaliatory violence.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has been under mounting pressure from the US to intensify her offensive against drug cartels blamed for producing and smuggling drugs, particularly the synthetic opioid fentanyl, across the border.

Mr Oseguera, 60, the mastermind of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) died in custody after being injured in a military operation by Mexican special forces in the town of Tampalpa on Mexico's Pacific coast in Jalisco state, according to Mexico's defence ministry.

His corpse arrived in Mexico City yesterday afternoon in a heavily guarded convoy of National Guard troops.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later posted on social media that the United States provided intelligence support.

Ms Leavitt added that the Trump administration "commends and thanks the Mexican military for their cooperation and successful execution of this operation."

After reports of El Mencho's death, cartel henchmen blockaded highways with burning cars and torched businesses in more than a half a dozen states, paralyzing ‌parts of the country.

No civilian deaths have been reported.

In ⁠Jalisco's popular beach resort of Puerto Vallarta, frightened tourists on social media described a "war zone" as plumes of dark smoke rose into the sky from around the bay.

Former cop to cartel kingpin

Mr Oseguera, a former police officer, founded and oversaw the rapid rise of the CJNG, named for the western state of Jalisco that is home to one of Mexico's biggest cities, Guadalajara.

In recent years, CJNG has expanded into one of Mexico's most powerful cartels, known for violent tactics including forced labor and forced recruitment.

Under El Mencho's leadership, CJNG also ‌became a highly diversified criminal enterprise, expanding from drug trafficking to fuel theft, extortion, human smuggling, and complex financial frauds.

The cartel pioneered use of drones in attacks against civilians in remote regions of western Mexico as part of its rapid territorial expansion.

The raid was one ⁠of Mexico's highest-profile blows against drug gangs responsible for smuggling billions of dollars of drugs - including fentanyl - into the US.

In recent years, the leaders of the rival Sinaloa ‌Cartel, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, were captured alive. Both are now in US prisons.

President Donald Trump's administration lauded El ⁠Mencho's killing, but said the domestic violence ‌it triggered highlighted the political balancing act Ms Sheinbaum must strike as her government escalates its cartel offensive.

Ms Sheinbaum stressed that activities in most areas of the country were proceeding as usual.

Schools in various states across Mexico cancelled classes as a precaution, according to announcements by state-level education departments.

Security experts were watching whether the raid and death of the cartel boss would fracture CJNG leadership and trigger bloody infighting.

"There will definitely be skirmishes ⁠between the various factions, and these spasms of violence could last for years," said Carlos Olivo, a former US Drug Enforcement Administration assistant special agent in charge and an expert in CJNG.

US, Canada issue travel warnings for Mexico

The US State Department has urged American citizens in parts of Mexico to shelter in place amid violence, road blocks and flight cancellations.

"Due to ongoing, widespread security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity in many areas of Mexico, US citizens should shelter in place until further notice," said a statement from the department's consular affairs section on social media platform X.

"Roadblocks have impacted airline operations, with some domestic and international flights cancelled in both Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta," it said.

The cartel leader had a $15 million (€12.7 million) US bounty on his head.

Canada said it was monitoring the situation closely and advised Canadians in Mexico to "keep a low profile and follow advice of local authorities".

It urged citizens in Michoacan, Guerrero and Jalisco states to shelter in place, citing "shootouts with security forces and explosions."

Several US and Canadian airlines cancelled flights to parts of Mexico following the unrest.

US carriers United, American, Southwest and Alaska, as well as the Canadian airlines Air Canada and WestJet/Sunwing, announced the cancellation of flights to Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, and Manzanillo.

Some planes had to turn back while already en route to Mexico, several airlines said, including Southwest, which turned back four flights originally bound for Puerto Vallarta.

Southwest said it would send aircraft to Mexico to repatriate its stranded passengers and staff once the situation normalises.

Killing wins US praise

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, previously ambassador to Mexico, said Mr Oseguera's killing was a "great development" for the US and Mexico, as well as the rest of Latin America.

In January after the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Mr Trump said "the cartels are running Mexico," and warned "we are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels."

Ms Sheinbaum said she would strengthen efforts to cooperate with the US to fight cartels but vowed to uphold Mexico's sovereignty and warned against any unilateral military action by the US in Mexico.

The Mexican leader also said security officials would provide information on the operation.