Mexican Military Kills New Generation Jalisco Drug Cartel Boss 'El Mencho'

The leader of the New Generation Jalisco Cartel (CJNG), Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, was killed in a shootout with government forces. His death is expected to impact the wave of violence in various parts of the country.

As reported by AFP via detikNews on Monday (23/2/2026), El Mencho was shot during a military operation that took place on Sunday (22/2) in the city of Tapalpa. He later died while being transported to Mexico City, according to military officials.

Shortly after the man with a bounty of USD 15 million was killed, the other shooters retaliated by blocking more than 20 roads in the State of Jalisco, including Tapalpa. In addition, violence also spread to other states in Mexico.

The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, asked citizens to remain calm. She also stated that she was coordinating with state authorities.

The Jalisco Cartel or CJNG is considered one of the most dangerous cartels in the country. El Mencho himself became one of the Mexican drug lords who could be captured since the capture of the founders of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Ismael Zambada. Both are now serving sentences in the United States.

Local authorities said that in addition to Mexican military intelligence, the attack was carried out thanks to “additional assistance” from the US government. In addition to El Mencho, six members of the cartel were killed, while three Mexican soldiers were injured.

From the operation, two suspected cartel members were arrested and various weapons were seized, including a rocket launcher capable of downing aircraft and destroying armored vehicles.

As the shooters blocked roads in retaliation, the state of Jalisco, which is scheduled to host four matches of the World Cup this summer, canceled all events involving large numbers of people on Sunday and in-person classes on Monday.