Mexican military operation kills cartel leader El Mencho
CJNG leader El Mencho was killed in a Mexican military operation in Tapalpa, the Ministry of Defense confirmed.
Mexican drug lord Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, nicknamed “El Mencho,” was killed in a military operation, officials announced Sunday, February 22, in the latest victory in Mexico’s fight against drug cartels under threat of U.S. intervention.
Mexico’s Defense Ministry said Oseguera was seriously injured in the shootout in Tapalpa, Jalisco state, and died while being airlifted to Mexico City. Six other cartel members were killed and two arrested in the military operation.
“Various weapons and armored vehicles were seized, including rocket launchers capable of shooting down aircraft and destroying armored vehicles,” Mexican officials said, adding that U.S. authorities had provided “supplementary information.”
Oseguera, a former police officer, was the shadow leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, named after the western state where Guadalajara, one of Mexico’s largest cities, is located. In a relatively short period of time, the cartel transformed into an international criminal organization comparable to its former allies in the Sinaloa Cartel. The Sinaloa Cartel is the gang of captured tycoon Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman, who is currently in a U.S. prison.
Oseguera’s death marked a major victory in Mexico’s war against drug cartels that were smuggling billions of dollars of cocaine and fentanyl into the United States. The operation sparked a wave of violence, with cars torched and armed groups blocking highways in more than six states.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on social media that she was “in absolute partnership with all state governments,” adding that they “work every day for peace, security, justice, and well-being in Mexico.”
Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro urged residents to stay at home until the situation subsides, and the U.S. Embassy advised citizens to shelter in place. Videos on social media showed a car on fire on a road in Jalisco state, with black smoke billowing into the sky.
US provides information on Operation “El Mencho”
The military operation against Oseguera follows the Trump administration’s pressure on the Sheinbaum administration to crack down on drug trafficking, including threats of direct U.S. intervention in Mexico.
The United States provided information to the operation, the ministry said in a statement.
“In addition to central military intelligence operations, complementary information was provided by the US authorities within the framework of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the US,” the release said.
Reuters reported, citing unnamed US defense officials, that the Interagency Task Force Against Cartels was involved in the operation. The agency will launch in late 2025 and specialize in gathering intelligence on drug cartels on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. The official stressed that the attack itself was a Mexican military operation.
The news agency also reported, citing another anonymous former US official, that the US had compiled a detailed targeting package against Oseguera and provided it to the Mexican government for the operation.
Mexican media reported that vehicles were set on fire and armed groups blocked highways in more than six states across the country, especially in the north and west. Mexico’s Security Cabinet announced in a post on X that as of 3 p.m. ET, 21 highway closures were in place in the state of Jalisco, and 20 Banco del Bienestar branches in the state were affected.
Flights to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara airports have been diverted or canceled by major airlines including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. The Liga MX Femenil match between Chivas and Club América and the men’s Liga MX match scheduled for February 22 have been postponed due to violence.
In a post on X, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau called the killings “a major development for Mexico, the United States, Latin America, and the world,” adding, “I am watching the scene of violence in Mexico with great sadness and concern.”
“Best award in many years”
Transnational organized crime expert Banda Felbab-Brown compared Mr. Oseguera to other major drug figures killed in recent years, Mr. Guzman and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada of the rival Sinaloa cartel.
“Other than the head of the Sinaloa cartel, ‘El Mencho’ has been the biggest prize for many years,” Felbab-Brown told Reuters, adding that he expected “a tremendous amount of violence.”
Unlike some cartel leaders who inherited their leadership positions from family dynasties, Oseguera’s parents were farm workers who made their living in Aguililla, a city of fewer than 20,000 people in Michoacán state, known as the avocado capital of the world.
He dropped out of school after sixth grade to pick avocados, the Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported in 2019. The future “El Mencho” served more than four years in federal prison for trying to start a drug-trafficking business in the Bay Area, and was deported in 1992 for selling heroin to two undercover agents at San Francisco’s Imperial Bar for $9,500.
Oseguera headed to Tijuana, known as a border town where Mexican cartels warring with American tourists gather. There he grew a drug smuggling business in San Diego, quickly making a name for himself in a major gateway to the United States that served as a popular drug plaza for cartels wanting to export their products across the border.
Oseguera has been indicted several times in the United States, most recently in 2022 on drug lord statue charges for operating a continuing criminal enterprise and conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl into the United States, according to court documents reviewed by USA TODAY.
Contributed by: Reuters
