Nemesio Rubn Oseguera Cervantes, popularly known as El Mencho, succumbed to injuries sustained during a military raid in the western state of Jalisco, authorities said, adding that he died during an air transfer to Mexico City.
El Mencho’s criminal outfit, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), has grown into Mexico’s most powerful organised crime syndicate over the past decade.
El Mencho, the elusive cartel leader and one of the world’s most wanted drug traffickers, has died after sustaining injuries in a military operation in Mexico, the country’s defence ministry announced on Sunday.The fugitive drug lord succumbed to injuries sustained during a military raid in the western state of Jalisco, the defence ministry said, adding that he died during an air transfer to Mexico City.The death of El Mencho, whose actual name was Nemesio Rubn Oseguera Cervantes, triggered a wave of violence, with torched cars and gunmen blocking highways reportedly witnessed in more than half a dozen states of Mexico, including Jalisco.El Mencho’s criminal outfit, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), has grown to be Mexico’s most powerful organised crime syndicate over the past decade and has also emerged as a major trafficker of illicit drugs to the US.
CHAOS ERUPTS ACROSS MEXICO
Widespread instances of violence following El Mencho’s death reflected some of the common tactics used by cartels in Mexico to block military operations. Following the outbreak of chaos, President Claudia Sheinbaum said in an X post that the federal government was maintaining “absolute coordination” with state governments. Videos going viral on social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, and people sprinting through the airport of the state’s capital in panic. n Guadalajara, the state capital, burning vehicles blocked roads. Jalisco’s Governor, Pablo Lemus Navarro, urged residents to stay home until the situation was brought under control.
El MENCHO DEATH A WIN FOR US
The military operation against Oseguera came amid a pressure campaign from US President Donald Trump’s administration on Sheinbaum’s government to ramp up its crackdown on drug trafficking. Threats of direct intervention by the US in Mexico were also part of Washington’s pressure tactics. The US had offered a USD 15 million reward for information leading to El Mencho’s capture or conviction, accusing him of orchestrating shipments of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl into North America.CJNG was designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the Trump administration last year. US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau termed Oseguera’s killing as a “great development” for the US and Mexico, as well as the rest of Latin America.
US ISSUES SECURITY ALERT
As chaos gripped streets in CJNG strongholds across Mexico, the US State Department warned American citizens in several Mexican states to shelter in place, citing the prevailing security operations. The advisory covered Jalisco as well as Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon states. Canada also warned its citizens in Puerto Vallarta to shelter in place and generally to keep a low profile in Jalisco.
HOW CJNG BECAME A REGIONAL MENACE
Under Oseguera’s leadership, CJNG evolved from a regional faction into a transnational trafficking network known for heavy weaponry, military-style convoys and public displays of violence intended to intimidate rivals and authorities.While less globally recognised than the Sinaloa cartel once led by Joaqun “El Chapo” Guzmn, CJNG became synonymous within Mexico with brutal enforcement tactics and rapid territorial expansion.
Published By: Satyam Singh