Mexican authorities tracked down and killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as 'El Mencho', one of the world's most wanted drug traffickers, by following a romantic partner to his safe house near the mountain town of Tapalpa, the country's defence secretary has revealed.
The raid on Sunday by the Mexican military, supported by US intelligence, resulted in El Mencho's death after his bodyguards opened fire, forcing a helicopter into an emergency landing. The cartel leader fled into nearby woodland where he was wounded and captured, later dying while being transferred for medical treatment in Mexico City. Seven of his men were killed and two soldiers wounded.
The operation triggered a wave of retaliatory violence across western Mexico, with cartel gunmen blocking almost 100 major roads, torching vehicles and attacking security forces. Security minister Omar García Harfuch reported 25 national guard members killed, 14 wounded, along with 34 gunmen and one bystander. A close ally of El Mencho, Hugo César Macías Ureña, who coordinated the violence and offered a bounty for dead soldiers, was also killed.
Security analyst Stephen Woodman said the violence 'kicked off pretty immediately' as news broke, with cartels activating pre-arranged plans to cause maximum disruption. Misinformation, including AI-generated images, swirled on social media, compounding panic. The Jalisco governor urged the state's 8 million citizens to stay at home and suspended public transport.
