Mexican security forces killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel known as “El Mencho,” during a military operation Sunday in the western state of Jalisco, triggering immediate retaliatory attacks by cartel members disrupting major cities and issuance of international travel warnings. SEATAC showing all flights to Puerto Vallarta canceled.
Statement from Mexican President Claudia Shienbaum Pardo (Translated): “There is absolute coordination with the governments of all states; we must remain informed and calm. The social media accounts of the Security Cabinet provide permanent updates. In the vast majority of the national territory, activities are proceeding with complete normality. My recognition to the Mexican Army, National Guard, Armed Forces, and Security Cabinet. We work every day for peace, security, justice, and the well-being of Mexico.”
“I’ve just been informed that Mexican security forces have killed “El Mencho,” one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins. This is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world. The good guys are stronger than the bad guys./Los buenos somos más que los malos. Felicidades a las fuerzas de orden público de la gran nación mexicana,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau wrote to X.
Oseguera Cervantes, 59, was wounded in a raid in the town of Tapalpa, about 75 miles southwest of Guadalajara, and died while being flown to Mexico City for medical treatment, according to a statement from Mexico’s Defense Department.
The operation involved special forces, aerial support and intelligence shared with U.S. authorities, officials said. Four suspected cartel members were killed at the scene, and two others were arrested. Three soldiers sustained injuries but were reported stable.
The raid also led to the seizure of several armored vehicles, rocket launchers capable of downing aircraft and other military-grade weapons.
Oseguera Cervantes had evaded capture for years, relying on family networks and brutal tactics to maintain control over the CJNG, one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations involved in fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking to the United States.
The CJNG Cartel retaliated with armed groups setting up blockades, torching vehicles and buses, and clashing with security forces in at least five states: Jalisco, Michoacan, Guerrero, Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon.
In Guadalajara, Jalisco’s capital, immediate clashes were reported, with smoke rising from burning checkpoints and attacks on buildings. Gunmen blocked roads with burning trucks, stranding motorists.
Puerto Vallarta’s airport was temporarily closed, leading airlines like Air Canada to suspend flights, while schools across Jalisco canceled classes Monday.
Casualty reports from the retaliation were preliminary, with at least a dozen civilians and security personnel killed in scattered incidents, according to local media outlets Reforma and Milenio.
In one attack, cartel gunmen targeted military sites with explosives in Jalisco, while mass shootings were reported against police in Michoacan.
Security experts are warning that retaliation could spill onto U.S. soil, given the CJNG’s operations in American cities, however, no immediate threats are being reported.
Oseguera Cervantes, a fugitive since 2015 with a $15 million U.S. bounty on his head, built the CJNG into a fentanyl empire responsible for thousands of overdose deaths in the U.S.
Author: Mario Lotmore
