Mexican cartel boss “El Mencho” killed, violence erupts nationwide

One of the world’s most wanted drug traffickers, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” has been killed by Mexican security forces, the country’s defence ministry confirmed.

The operation, carried out on February 22 in Jalisco state, also resulted in the deaths of at least six alleged accomplices and sparked widespread violence across several Mexican states, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

El Mencho, 59, was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organisations. The cartel, notorious for its military-style arsenal and brutal tactics, has been involved in smuggling cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine into the United States and other countries, as well as attempted assassinations of government officials.

The operation in the town of Tapalpa, located in Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountains, saw Mexican special forces and the National Guard engage cartel members in heavy fighting. Four suspected cartel members were killed at the scene, while three others, including El Mencho, died while being transported to Mexico City. Two alleged cartel members were arrested with weapons including rocket launchers capable of downing aircraft and destroying armoured vehicles.

The attack provoked immediate unrest across the region. Reports indicate that cartel members set fire to vehicles and blocked highways in at least eight states: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Michoacán, Colima, Guerrero, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. Video footage showed thick smoke rising from burning vehicles in Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist destination, and scenes of chaos at Guadalajara airport, one of the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. By the evening of February 22, Guadalajara had largely emptied as civilians stayed indoors, while schools were cancelled in multiple states the following day.

Several security personnel were also killed during the unrest. A member of the National Guard died in Tapalpa, six others were killed in Zapopan, a jail guard was killed during a prison riot in Puerto Vallarta, and a Jalisco state prosecutor’s office agent was killed in Guadalajara. Three troops injured in Tapalpa were transported to Mexico City for treatment.

The United States provided “complementary intelligence” for the operation, with the Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel involved in mapping cartel networks along the US-Mexico border. US officials, including President Donald Trump and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, praised the operation as a significant blow against the CJNG. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called El Mencho a major “trafficker of fentanyl into our homeland.”

Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro urged residents to stay at home until the situation stabilises, warning that public transport services were suspended and roads remained unsafe. Both the US and Canadian governments issued travel advisories, urging citizens to shelter in place amid roadblocks, shootouts, and explosions.

Despite the violence, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasised coordination with state governments and urged citizens to remain calm, assuring that “activities are proceeding normally across most of the country.”

By Vugar Khalilov