Lizbeth Diaz and Laura Gottesdiener
Updated February 23, 2026 — 4:27pm,first published February 23, 2026 — 9:58am
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Mexico City: Notorious Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, or “El Mencho” as he was known, was killed in a military raid on Sunday, decapitating one of the country’s most powerful cartels and sparking widespread retaliatory violence.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has been under mounting pressure from Washington to intensify her offensive against drug cartels blamed for producing and smuggling drugs, particularly the synthetic opioid fentanyl, across the border to the United States.
A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on fire in Cointzio, Michoacan state, Mexico.AP
Oseguera, 60, the mastermind of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (known by its Spanish initials CJNG), died in custody after being injured in a military operation by Mexican special forces in the town of Tapalpa on Mexico’s Pacific coast in Jalisco state, according to Mexico’s defence ministry. His body arrived in Mexico City on Sunday afternoon in a heavily guarded convoy of National Guard troops.
Reuters reported on Sunday that a new US-military-led taskforce played a role in the raid led and carried out by Mexican forces. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later posted on social media that the US provided intelligence support.
Leavitt added that the Trump administration “commends and thanks the Mexican military for their co-operation and successful execution of this operation”.
After reports of Oseguera’s death, cartel henchmen blockaded roads with burning cars at more than 250 points in 20 Mexican states and torched businesses in at least six states, paralysing parts of the country. Jalisco’s capital, Guadalajara, was turned into a ghost town Sunday night as civilians hunkered down and school was cancelled on Monday in several states.
Authorities in the states of Jalisco, Michoacan and Guanajuato reported at least 14 people dead, including seven National Guard troops.
In Jalisco’s popular beach resort of Puerto Vallarta, frightened tourists on social media described a “war zone” as plumes of dark smoke rose into the sky from around the bay. Air Canada, United Airlines, Aeromexico and American Airlines suspended flights in the area.
Former cop to cartel kingpin
Oseguera, a former police officer, founded and oversaw the rapid rise of the CJNG, named for the western state of Jalisco that is home to one of Mexico’s biggest cities, Guadalajara. In recent years, CJNG has expanded into one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels, known for violent tactics including forced labour and forced recruitment.
Under his leadership, CJNG also became a highly diversified criminal enterprise, expanding from drug trafficking to fuel theft, extortion, human smuggling and complex financial fraud. The cartel pioneered the use of drones in attacks against civilians in remote regions of western Mexico as part of its rapid territorial expansion.
In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organisation and the US State Department had offered a reward of up to $US15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho.
Sunday’s raid was one of Mexico’s highest-profile blows against drug gangs responsible for smuggling billions of dollars of drugs – including fentanyl – into the US.
During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including Oseguera, were wounded and later died, the authorities’ statement said.
A DEA press conference from 2020 displays A DEA news conference from 2020 displays Nemesio Oseguera’s mugshot and drugs and weapons seized.Alamy
Two others were arrested and armoured vehicles, rocket launchers and other arms were seized. Three members of the armed forces were wounded and are receiving medical treatment.
In recent years, the leaders of the rival Sinaloa cartel – Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada – were captured alive. Both are now in American prisons.
US President Donald Trump’s administration lauded Oseguera’s killing, but the violence it triggered across Mexico highlighted the political balancing act Sheinbaum must strike as her government escalates its offensive against cartels.
On Sunday, Sheinbaum stressed that activities in most areas of the country were proceeding as usual.
Smoke rises in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, after violence broke out following the death of cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera.EPA
Security experts are watching whether the raid and the cartel boss’s death will fracture CJNG leadership and trigger bloody infighting.
“There will definitely be skirmishes between the various factions, and these spasms of violence could last for years,” said Carlos Olivo, a former US Drug Enforcement Administration assistant special agent in charge and an expert in CJNG.
Killing wins US praise
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, previously the American ambassador to Mexico, said Oseguera’s killing was a “great development” for the US and Mexico, as well as the rest of Latin America.
In January, after the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump said “the cartels are running Mexico” and warned “we are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels”.
A burnt car crashed into the entrance of a store at a shopping centre in Guadalajara, Mexico.Getty Images
Sheinbaum said she would strengthen efforts to co-operate with the US to fight cartels, but vowed to uphold Mexico’s sovereignty and warned against any unilateral military action by the US in Mexico.
In a social media post on Sunday, Sheinbaum said security officials would provide information on the operation.
Reuters, AP
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