Mexican security forces have killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as "El Mencho," one of the world's most wanted drug traffickers, as confirmed by the defence ministry. The operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco, triggered widespread violence across at least eight Mexican states, with burning vehicles, roadblocks, and shootouts reported.
El Mencho, 59, led the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, notorious for ultraviolence and a military-style arsenal. He was killed along with at least six alleged accomplices. Three Mexican troops were injured in the raid, while two cartel members were arrested with rocket launchers capable of downing aircraft. We also know that US authorities provided intelligence support, with the Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel playing a key role.
The slaying sparked immediate reprisals. Videos showed vehicles set ablaze, a petrol station torched in Guadalajara, and armed men blocking roads across Jalisco, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Michoacán, Colima, Guerrero, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro urged residents to stay home, suspend travel, and avoid roads. Meanwhile, the US embassy and Canadian authorities issued alerts urging citizens to shelter in place in affected regions.
US officials, including former Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, hailed El Mencho's death as a major blow to organized crime while warning of violent reprisals. This is an operation that has been described as the most significant strike against Mexican cartels in over a decade. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum promised briefings from her security council but offered no immediate confirmation...