Mexican Army Kills CJNG Leader 'El Mencho' In Major Operation

Mexican forces killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel known as “El Mencho,” during an operation to capture him, triggering blockades and violence that disrupted multiple states.

The drug lord died on Sunday after being wounded in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara, the Defence Department said in a statement. He perished while being flown to Mexico City. The state serves as the base for the cartel, which traffics large quantities of fentanyl and other drugs to the United States.

According to AP, troops faced gunfire during the operation and killed four people at the site. Three more individuals, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died, the statement noted. Two others were detained, and authorities seized armoured vehicles, rocket launchers and other weapons. Three members of the armed forces sustained injuries and are receiving medical treatment.

A Jalisco state official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, said a National Guard member died in Tapalpa during the operation, six other National Guard members died in Zapopan near Guadalajara, a jail guard was killed at a lockup in Puerto Vallarta amid a prisoner riot, and an agent from the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office was killed in Guadalajara. Details were not immediately available.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated via X that the U.S. government supplied intelligence support for the operation. “‘El Mencho’ was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland,” she wrote. She commended Mexico’s military for its work.

“Ever since President (Claudia) Sheinbaum has been in power, the army has been way more confrontational, combative against criminal groups in Mexico,” said David Mora, analyst for International Crisis Group in Mexico. “This is signaling to the U.S. that if we keep cooperating, sharing intelligence, Mexico can do it, we don’t need U.S. troops on Mexican soil.”

The cartel responded with roadblocks using burning vehicles, a common tactic to hinder military actions. Videos on social media showed smoke rising over Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, with people running through the airport in panic. Air Canada suspended flights to Puerto Vallarta “due to an ongoing security situation” and advised customers to avoid the airport. Several Mexican and international airlines also cancelled flights.

In Guadalajara, burning vehicles obstructed roads and businesses closed, just months before Mexico’s second-largest city hosts matches in this summer’s soccer World Cup. The U.S. State Department advised U.S. citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon states to stay in safe places due to the security operations. Canada’s embassy in Mexico urged its citizens in Puerto Vallarta to shelter in place and maintain a low profile in Jalisco.

Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus instructed residents to remain at home, halted public transportation and described the state as “living through critical hours.” Cars burned by cartel members blocked roads at more than 250 points in 20 Mexican states, authorities said, sending smoke into the air. Guadalajara became a ghost town Sunday night as civilians stayed indoors. School was cancelled Monday in several states. Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan and Guanajuato reported at least 14 dead, including seven National Guard troops.

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to El Mencho’s arrest. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known by its Spanish initials CJNG, is one of the most powerful and fastest growing criminal organisations in Mexico and started operating around 2009. In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organisation.

Sheinbaum has criticised the “kingpin” strategy of prior administrations, which removed cartel leaders but often led to surges in violence as groups splintered. While she remains popular in Mexico, security remains a key issue, and since U.S. President Donald Trump took office a year ago, she has faced significant pressure to deliver results against drug trafficking. On Sunday, Sheinbaum praised Mexican security forces and urged calm in a post on X.

Associated Press reported that the Jalisco cartel has conducted aggressive attacks on the military, including against helicopters, and pioneered the use of drone-launched explosives and mines. In 2020, it attempted a high-profile assassination with grenades and high-powered rifles in Mexico City’s centre against the then head of the capital’s police force, now the federal security secretary.

The DEA views the cartel as comparable in power to the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico’s most notorious criminal groups, with operations in all 50 U.S. states. It supplies much of the cocaine to the U.S. market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, generates billions from fentanyl and methamphetamine production. Sinaloa has weakened due to internal conflicts following the capture of leaders Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, both in U.S. custody.

Oseguera Cervantes, 59, originated from Aguililla in neighbouring Michoacan. He became involved in drug trafficking in the 1990s. As a young man, he migrated to the U.S., where he was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 1994 and served nearly three years in prison.

After release, Oseguera Cervantes returned to Mexico and resumed drug trafficking with Ignacio Coronel Villarreal, alias “Nacho Coronel.” Following Villarreal’s death, Oseguera Cervantes and Erik Valencia Salazar, alias “El 85,” formed the Jalisco New Generation Cartel around 2007. They initially aligned with the Sinaloa Cartel but later broke away, leading to years of territorial battles across Mexico.

Since 2017, Oseguera Cervantes has faced multiple indictments in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The latest superseding indictment, filed on April 5, 2022, charges him with conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances (methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl) for illegal importation into the United States, plus use of firearms in drug trafficking offences. He is also charged under the Drug Kingpin Enforcement Act for leading a continuing criminal enterprise.

Reported AP, last year, searchers for missing relatives discovered piles of shoes, clothing and bone fragments at a site authorities identified as a Jalisco cartel recruitment and training location.

(With inputs from AP)