The Mexican army killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho, on February 23 during an operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco, Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said. The death of the leader of the Jalisco Cartel Nueva Generación—Mexico’s fastest-growing drug trafficking organization and one of the world’s largest fentanilo suppliers—triggered immediate and widespread cartel retaliation across the country, with hundreds of highway blockades, arson attacks, and assaults on authorities.
El Mencho’s death represents a significant blow to drug trafficking to the United States, achieved through cooperation between Mexico and the U.S., which provided intelligence support. The violent response underscored the cartel’s capacity to disrupt national order and raised questions about whether the killing would fragment the organization or intensify its operations.
The Operation
Mexican military forces located El Mencho, the leader of the Jalisco Cartel Nueva Generación, through surveillance of one of his romantic partners, Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said. The surveillance led troops to Tapalpa, a picturesque mountain town in southern Jalisco state known for its tourism.
When the military moved to capture him on February 23, his security detail responded with intense gunfire. El Mencho and two bodyguards fled toward a wooded area, where special forces located and wounded all three, Trevilla said. They died during transport to Mexico City.
The operation itself resulted in 11 military deaths, according to the defense ministry.
The Violent Aftermath
The cartel responded immediately and everywhere. On February 23 alone, CJNG members blocked more than 250 highways across 20 states, set fires, and launched 27 attacks on government authorities, according to officials. A cartel commander killed that day had been offering more than $1,000 to cartel members for every military casualty, Trevilla said.
More than 70 people died during the operation and the subsequent violence, officials said. The toll included 11 military personnel killed in the operation, 25 National Guard members, one prison guard in Puerto Vallarta, a state prosecutor’s office official, one woman, and 34 cartel members. The circumstances of some deaths remained unclear.
Civilian Disruptions Across Mexico
The violence disrupted normal life across the country. More than 1,000 people became trapped overnight at Guadalajara’s zoo, sleeping in buses. Zoo director Luis Soto Rendón said the trapped visitors included infants, young children, and elderly people who had been stuck since the previous morning.
In Puerto Vallarta, a Pacific coastal resort town and another major CJNG stronghold, the U.S. Embassy instructed staff in eight Mexican cities and in Michoacán state to shelter in place and work remotely. Many tourists became stranded in their hotels. American tourist Steve Perkins, on vacation with his spouse, said they heard explosions early Sunday while having coffee on their hotel terrace.
“We had seven or eight columns of black, heavy smoke around us, and the entire downtown and bay were covered in thick black smoke,” Perkins said. Authorities told them they could not fly home until March 1.
Rioting and armed attacks on Puerto Vallarta’s prison resulted in 23 inmate escapes, Jalisco authorities confirmed. In El Mencho’s hometown of Aguililla, Michoacán state, access remained blocked on Monday morning. Priest Gilberto Vergara said the area remained in chaos. “Crime group members are still roaming the streets, burning cars,” he said.
Government Response and U.S. Cooperation
President Claudia Sheinbaum struck a reassuring tone during her Monday morning press conference, saying “practically” calm had been restored. The army was deploying 2,500 additional military personnel to Jalisco, joining 7,000 already stationed there, she said. Schools remained closed through Wednesday, while Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus announced that economic and social activities would resume Tuesday.
The White House confirmed that the United States provided intelligence support to the operation. U.S. Ambassador Ron Johnson praised the Mexican military for the operation, and White House Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt added congratulations.
The Trump administration has repeatedly pressed Mexico for results against fentanilo trafficking, threatening additional tariffs or unilateral military action if the government did not show progress. The killing of El Mencho, described as one of the world’s largest fentanilo suppliers, was welcomed in Washington.
Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said the cabinet was closely monitoring signs of reorganization within the cartel and tracking several commanders. The cartel’s future remained uncertain—whether it would fragment, escalate violence further, or be weakened by other criminal groups seeking to exploit the blow to its leadership.