Mexican security forces have killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the drug cartel leader known as ‘El Mencho’, Mexico’s defence ministry has confirmed. The operation, which took place on Sunday in the western state of Jalisco, also resulted in the deaths of at least six alleged accomplices. The killing of one of the world’s most wanted drug traffickers has sparked widespread disorder across several Mexican states.
El Mencho, 59, was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which has become Mexico’s most powerful and notorious criminal organisation in recent years. The group is infamous for its ultraviolence and military-style arsenal. Four cartel members were killed at the scene, while another three died while being flown to Mexico City, including El Mencho. Two alleged cartel members were arrested with weapons including rocket launchers capable of bringing down aircraft and destroying armoured vehicles.
The unrest following El Mencho’s death forced US and Canadian airlines to cancel dozens of flights. Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta due to the security situation. ‘Narco’ roadblocks made from burning cars, buses and trucks were seen across at least eight Mexican states: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Michoacán, Colima, Guerrero, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas. Video footage showed huge clouds of smoke above Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist destination.
In Jalisco’s capital, Guadalajara, scenes of chaos unfolded as panicked passengers at the airport sprinted for cover. Armed men were seen torching vehicles in the city centre, and one video showed a group setting fire to a petrol station. By Sunday night, Guadalajara had become a ghost town as civilians stayed indoors. School was cancelled on Monday in several states. The defence ministry confirmed that three troops were injured during the operation, and a Jalisco state official reported additional deaths: a National Guard member in Tapalpa, six others in Zapopan, a jail guard in Puerto Vallarta during a prison riot, and an agent from the state prosecutor’s office in Guadalajara.
The US had offered a $15m (£11m) reward for El Mencho’s capture, accusing him of smuggling huge quantities of cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine across the border. Senior US officials celebrated his killing, which follows months of pressure from President Donald Trump over drug and migrant flows. Christopher Landau, the deputy secretary of state, called El Mencho ‘one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins’. The defence ministry said US authorities provided ‘complementary information’ that contributed to the operation’s success.
