The founder and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Spanish abbr: CJNG), Mexico’s most wanted drug lord, was killed yesterday by the Mexican military in the west-central state of Jalisco.
Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, was wounded during an arrest operation in the municipality of Tapalpa, located 80 miles southwest of the state capital of Guadalajara.
He died while being medically airlifted to Mexico City.
The operation was carried out by Mexican Special Forces acting on what the Trump administration confirmed was intelligence provided by a US military-led task force.
Tapalpa has been long considered a stronghold of the ultraviolent cartel.
Six other CJNG members were killed in the operation, and three soldiers were wounded.
Two high-ranking CJNG members were also arrested.
El Mencho’s death immediately set off a wave of retaliatory attacks by CJNG elements in at least 20 states, demonstrating the cartel’s extensive reach.
Gunmen set vehicles on fire on highways and roads across Jalisco, establishing narcobloqueos – coordinated road blockades to paralyze traffic and disrupt military operations.
Businesses, particularly convenience stores and state-owned banks, were looted or set ablaze throughout the state.
In Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest metropolitan area, businesses shuttered as sirens and military helicopters were heard across the city.
Cartel roadblocks were reported on some of the city’s busiest thoroughfares, including Calzada Independencia (north-south), the Periferico (the beltway) and Calzada Lazaro Cardenas (east-west), effectively paralyzing traffic.
The Guadalajara-Colima highway (Federal Highway 54D) was also impacted.
In the Pacific coastal resort city of Puerto Vallarta, videos circulating on social media showed thick smoke rising near beachfront hotels and gunmen erecting roadblocks within the city.
Tourists were instructed to stay inside their hotel rooms.
The use of explosive-laden drones, vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) and roadside bombs were also reported against military installations and convoys in Jalisco and other states.
State authorities urged residents to remain indoors as security operations continued, with the government surging military and national guard reinforcements to Jalisco overnight.
While no airports were closed, the unrest affected air travel in and out of Guadalajara International Airport and Puerto Vallarta International Airport, disrupting airport access and prompting many flight cancellations from American, Canadian and Mexican airlines.
Panic broke out at both airports, where fears of cartel violence prompted travelers to abandon their luggage and flee through terminals in search of cover.
A group of gunmen reportedly also attempted to breach the perimeter at Guadalajara International Airport, though it is unclear to what extent they were able to do so.
The road blockades and arson attacks later spread throughout the country, including the neighboring states of Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit and Aguascalientes, and were reported as far as Tamaulipas along the US-Mexico border, as well as the Mayan Riviera cities of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum.
Authorities ordered the suspension of in-person classes in 11 states.
More than two dozen National Guard personnel were killed yesterday, though that number will undoubtedly rise.
President Claudia Sheinbaum urged Mexicans to “stay calm,” stating that daily activity was continuing normally across most of the country.
El Mencho built the CJNG into the country’s most powerful and violent criminal organization, trafficking large volumes of fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs into the United States.
Similar outbreaks of violence have followed previous cartel leader arrests, with different factions attacking authorities or competing for dominance.
It is too soon to determine whether the CJNG will remain intact following El Mencho’s death, as it is unclear who is next in line as his immediate successor.
The risk of the cartel fracturing into rival factions is high, similar to what occurred with the Sinaloa Cartel following the imprisonment in the US of its founder, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, in July 2024.
Such an outcome would almost certainly lead to escalating cartel violence across numerous states where the CJNG maintains a presence.
Disruptive cartel actions such as roadblocks and explosions typically occur in the first few days but are difficult to sustain and give way to more targeted attacks.
The US role in the operation could provoke anti-American sentiment and raise the risk of cartel retaliation against US interests.
The US State Department warned that ongoing security operations, road blockages and criminal activity currently pose risks across a broad swath of Mexico, including the western states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa, Colima and Michoacan; the northern border states of Baja California, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas; the central states of Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato, Queretaro and Mexico, and the southern state of Quintana Roo.
Personnel in those areas should shelter in place until conditions have stabilized and avoid inter-city movements.
Nonessential travel to affected areas should be postponed.
Personnel should monitor developments and remain aware that cartel violence and related security operations could spill over into additional states with little or no warning.
