El Mencho or Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed during a military raid on Sunday. According to the Mexican Ministry of Defense, a shootout occurred in the western state of Jalisco, resulting in El Mencho being seriously injured and dying while being airlifted to Mexico City.
After El Mencho’s death, a wave of violence broke out as cars were burned and gunmen blocked highways in multiple states. Amid ongoing tensions, details of the operation in Jalisco that claimed the life of the feared cartel leader have emerged.
Operation El Mencho: Calculating blow by blow
The Mexican Ministry of National Defense published a circular detailing how the operation was carried out amid a wave of unrest that erupted in the wake of El Mencho’s death.
Special Forces of the Mexican Army participated in the operation and acted on intelligence from the National Intelligence Center and the Attorney General’s Office (FEMDO). The operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco saw the intervention of various aircraft from the Air Force and the National Guard’s Immediate Response Force to assist in the arrest of El Mencho.
Military personnel were reportedly attacked during this operation and retaliated, resulting in four CJNG members being killed at the scene. Authorities said three were seriously injured and lost their lives while being transported to Mexico City. While one of those who died during the crossing has been identified as El Mencho, the update indicated that authorities will work to formally identify the dead.
Read also | The killing of El Mencho: who will lead the CJNG after the death of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes? Command structure explained
Moreover, two members of the organization were arrested and various weapons and armored vehicles were confiscated. These include missile launchers capable of shooting down aircraft and destroying armored vehicles, according to the official update.
Three law enforcement personnel were also injured during the operation. They were transferred to healthcare facilities in Mexico City to receive medical care, according to the update. The publication noted that the United States helped provide intelligence that aided the operation. She added: “It should be noted that in order to implement this operation, in addition to the efforts of the Central Military Intelligence, within the framework of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the United States of America, complementary information was provided by the authorities of that country.”
The circular also noted that National Guard personnel and army forces in the states surrounding Jalisco were focused on ensuring security in the region.
The military operation against Oseguera came after a pressure campaign from the Donald Trump administration on the government of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to intensify its campaign against drug trafficking, including US threats to intervene directly in Mexico.
(With inputs from Reuters)
