One of Mexico’s most notorious drug lords “El Mencho” was killed in a military operation on Sunday in Tapalpa, sparking widespread retaliatory violence.
The 59-year-old, whose real name was Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, was originally from the western state of Michoacan and had been heavily involved in drug trafficking since the 1990s.
He previously spent almost three years in a US prison after being convicted in 1994 of conspiracy to distribute heroin by a court in California.
After his release, Oseguera Cervantes returned to Mexico, where he continued drug trafficking and was indicted several times by US courts since 2017.
At the time of his death, he was one of Washington’s most wanted fugitives.
His killing is a major win for US President Donald Trump, whose administration provided intelligence support for the operation.
In January, the president claimed that “cartels are running Mexico” and promised action.
The president has repeatedly said that tackling the flow of drugs, specifically fentanyl, into the US is a priority for his administration.
Mr Trump previously introduced tariffs against Mexico, China and Canada, citing the trafficking of fentanyl into the US as the emergency justification for the move.
Cartel’s innovative use of bombs and drones
In 2009, Oseguera Cervantes founded the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which became Mexico’s fastest-growing criminal organisation.
Jalisco is a western Mexican state which borders the Pacific Ocean.
Oseguera Cervantes’ organisation has a presence in at least 21 of Mexico’s 32 states and is active in almost all of the US, according to the country’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The group’s rapid rise was fuelled by moving cocaine, methamphetamines, fentanyl and people to the US.
The gang recruited aggressively, including online, and was innovative in its use of drones, improvised explosive devices and violence – including brazen attacks against authorities.
In 2015, the group made headlines after downing a military helicopter in Jalisco, killing some of those on board.
According to the US Department of State: “Through extreme violence, corruption and extortion, CJNG has increased its presence in Mexico, engaging in turf battles throughout the country and steadily expanding their territory and control.
“Oseguera Cervantes has rapidly grown CJNG from a regionally based drug trafficking organisation into an international organised crime power, involved with the production and distribution of narcotics throughout the world.”
The CJNG attempted a spectacular, but unsuccessful, assassination of Mexico City Police Chief Omar García Harfuch, who is now Mexico’s federal security secretary.
Two of Mr Harfuch’s bodyguards were killed in the attack, with the then police chief being taken to hospital with gun wounds.
Mr Trump’s administration designated the cartel and others as foreign terrorist organisations a year ago.
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A $15m (£11m) reward had been offered by the US State Department for information that led to Oseguera Cervantes’ arrest.
His death will have created a power vacuum, and it is unclear if any one successor will emerge to take his place as the boss of the clan he founded more than 16 years ago.
His absence could limit the gang’s rapid expansion and leave it more at risk from other groups, particularly their main rival – the feared Sinaloa cartel.
However, Sinaloa is locked in its own internal power struggle since its leader, “El Mayo” Zambada, was transferred to the US in 2024.
The operation and its aftermath
The Mexican army claimed that during an operation aimed at capturing Oseguera Cervantes, troops came under fire.
In the subsequent shootout, federal forces killed four members of the criminal group and wounded three others, including its leader, who later died during transfer by air to Mexico City, according to a statement.
Three soldiers were also injured, and two suspects were arrested by government forces.
Rocket launchers capable of shooting down aircraft and destroying armoured vehicles were seized at the scene.
The removal of cartel heads has previously led to an explosion of violence as power struggles emerged.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has criticised this “kingpin” strategy of previous administrations that often led to the gangs splintering into warring factions.
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Following Oseguera Cervantes’ death, gunmen unleashed violence across the country, with cars torched by cartel members in 20 Mexican states, often blocking roads.
Residents locked themselves in their homes in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city and Jalisco’s capital, and school was cancelled on Monday in several states as security forces were placed on alert all over the country.
Neighbouring countries, including Guatemala, reinforced security on the border with Mexico.
The violence led to a wave of airlines cancelling flights and the UK government urging Britons in parts of Jalisco state, including Puerto Vallarta, to stay inside and to only travel during daylight.
