Mexican security forces have killed one of the world’s most wanted drug traffickers, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as “El Mencho”.
Oseguera Cervantes, 59, was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal network accused of trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine into the United States and other countries. The U.S. government had placed a $15 million bounty on him.
According to Mexico’s Ministry of Defence, special forces launched an operation on Sunday, 22 February 2026, in Tapalpa, a town in Jalisco state, about two hours from Guadalajara. Troops came under heavy gunfire from cartel members guarding Oseguera Cervantes.
Four suspected cartel members were killed at the scene. Three others, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died while being transported to Mexico City.
Security officials reported that at least six of his bodyguards were killed during the operation. Several members of the Mexican military were injured.
Within hours of news of his death spreading, members of the cartel launched attacks across more than 20 Mexican states.
Authorities reported more than 250 roadblocks, many created by hijacking and burning buses, trucks and cars. Banks, pharmacies and petrol stations were also set on fire in some areas.
In Guadalajara, passengers at the international airport were seen lying on the floor as panic spread following reports of gunfire near a highway. In the coastal tourist city of Puerto Vallarta, flights were cancelled and about 300 travellers were escorted to safety under heavy police guard.
Mexico’s Security Secretary, Omar García Harfuch, said that 25 members of the National Guard were killed in six separate attacks in Jalisco after the cartel leader’s death. Other casualties included a prison guard, a state prosecutor’s office agent and several civilians.
Schools were closed in parts of Jalisco, Michoacán and Guanajuato on Monday. Public transport was suspended in some cities.
President Claudia Sheinbaum urged citizens to remain calm and said security agencies were working to restore order. By Monday evening, officials said all major roadblocks had been cleared, although security forces remained on high alert.
The United States confirmed it provided intelligence support for the operation. U.S. officials described Oseguera Cervantes as a leading trafficker of fentanyl into American territory.
Notably, in February 2025, the U.S. government designated the CJNG as a foreign terrorist organisation, increasing pressure on Mexico to take stronger action against the group.
Oseguera Cervantes was a former police officer who co-founded the cartel around 2009. Under his leadership, the CJNG grew into one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal groups, competing with the Sinaloa Cartel, once led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The CJNG gained a reputation for its military-style operations. It was known for using armoured vehicles, heavy weapons, drones fitted with explosives and attacks on government officials. In 2020, the cartel carried out an assassination attempt on a senior security official in Mexico City.
