The Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel on Sunday after an operation to capture him in Jalisco state, the Defense Department said. Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was wounded during the military operation in Tapalpa on February 22 and died while being transported to Mexico City, authorities said.
The operation marked a major victory for the Trump administration’s push to crack down on drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States. The White House said it provided intelligence support for the operation.
The killing represents a significant shift in Mexico’s approach to the cartels under President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has emphasized military confrontation with organized crime. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel had become Mexico’s most powerful drug trafficking organization and a primary supplier of fentanyl to the United States.
The Mexican army’s killing of “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, set off one of the most violent responses by the criminal organization in recent years. Across Mexico, cartel members burned vehicles and established roadblocks at more than 250 locations in 20 states as the organization reacted to the death of its leader, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, who had controlled the country’s most powerful drug trafficking operation.
At least 14 people died during the violence that followed Sunday’s operation, including seven National Guard troops, according to state authorities and federal officials. In Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state, schools were canceled Monday and businesses shuttered as residents remained home. Air Canada suspended flights to Puerto Vallarta, the state’s main tourist destination, due to the security situation.
The operation and casualties
El Mencho, 59, was wounded in the military operation in Tapalpa, about 80 miles southwest of Guadalajara, and died during transport to Mexico City, the Defense Department said. During the operation, Mexican troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three others, including El Mencho, were wounded and died later, the Defense Department said.
Authorities also seized armored vehicles, rocket launchers and other weapons during the operation. Three members of the armed forces were wounded and receiving medical treatment, the Defense Department said.
A Jalisco state official who requested anonymity 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 when prisoners rioted at a lockup in Puerto Vallarta, and a state prosecutor’s agent was killed in Guadalajara.
U.S. intelligence and strategic pressure
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that “the U.S. government provided intelligence support for the operation.” She said “‘El Mencho’ was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland.”
The killing represented a major success for the Trump administration’s public pressure on Mexico to crack down on drug trafficking and cartel violence. President Donald Trump has made the cartels a central focus of his foreign policy and has promised to designate cartel organizations as foreign terrorist entities.
The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to El Mencho’s arrest. In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.
A strategic shift
The operation appeared to signal a shift in Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s approach to the cartels. David Mora, an analyst for the International Crisis Group in Mexico, said: “Ever since President Sheinbaum has been in power, the army has been way more confrontational, combative against criminal groups 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.”
Sheinbaum had criticized the “kingpin” strategy of previous administrations, which involved targeting individual cartel leaders, saying such operations often triggered waves of violence as criminal organizations fractured. Yet the operation against El Mencho proceeded under her administration as international pressure mounted, particularly from the Trump administration. On Sunday, Sheinbaum applauded Mexican security forces and called for calm.
Background on El Mencho and the CJNG
El Mencho was originally from Aguililla in the neighboring state of Michoacan and had been significantly involved in drug trafficking activities since the 1990s. He migrated to the United States, 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.
Following his release, he returned to Mexico and engaged in drug trafficking with drug lord Ignacio Coronel Villarreal, also known as “Nacho Coronel.” After Villarreal’s death, El Mencho and Erik Valencia Salazar, alias “El 85,” created the Jalisco New Generation Cartel around 2007.
Initially, the cartel worked for the Sinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico’s most infamous drug trafficking organizations. Eventually the two cartels split and battled for territory across Mexico for years. The DEA considers the Jalisco cartel to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, which has been weakened by infighting after the loss of its leaders Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, both in U.S. custody.
The Jalisco cartel has been one of the most aggressive organizations in attacks on Mexico’s military, including on helicopters. It is a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in Mexico City against the then head of the capital’s police force.
The cartel has a presence in all 50 U.S. states and is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the American market. Like the Sinaloa cartel, it generates billions of dollars from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Since 2017, El Mencho had been indicted several times in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. A superseding indictment filed on April 5, 2022 charged him with conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances including methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl for illegal importation into the United States, and use of firearms during drug trafficking offenses. He was also charged under the Drug Kingpin Enforcement Act for directing a continuing criminal enterprise.