Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was killed on Sunday during a military operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco. He was wounded during the raid and died while being flown to Mexico City. He was 59 years old, a former police officer and avocado farmer who co-founded the CJNG around 2007, building it into what the FBI considers Mexico’s most powerful trafficking organization.
During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the scene. Three more, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and died later. Two others were arrested, and armored vehicles, rocket launchers and other arms were seized. Three members of the armed forces were wounded.
The Mexican Defense Department said the operation was conducted with bilateral coordination and U.S. intelligence support. A U.S. defense official confirmed U.S. military involvement through the Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel, but emphasized this was a Mexican military operation. The U.S. State Department had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest, and in February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.
Violent aftermath
The operation triggered widespread violence, with suspected cartel members setting buses on fire, blocking roads, and clashing with authorities across multiple states including Jalisco, Michoacán, and Guanajuato. By Sunday night, 252 blockades were reported throughout the country, with 23 still uncleared by 8 p.m. Several airlines Delta, Southwest, Alaska, and American canceled flights to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, and the U.S. Embassy issued shelter-in-place advisories for multiple states.
Former DEA chief of international operations Mike Vigil warned that killing the cartel head alone won’t have a major impact, saying authorities must go after the infrastructure, logistics, money laundering, and armed wings quickly otherwise there will be significant retaliatory violence. Notably, Jalisco is scheduled to host four matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June.
