Mexican Cartel Leader ‘El Mencho’ Killed in Military Operation
The leader of the Jalisco Fresh Generation Cartel (CJNG), Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was killed in a military operation on Sunday, February 22, 2026, marking a significant victory for Mexican authorities. The death of one of the United States’ most wanted fugitives has triggered a wave of violence across Mexico, as cartel members responded by blocking roads and setting vehicles ablaze.
According to reports, the operation that led to El Mencho’s death involved assistance from the U.S. Military through the Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel, which collaborates with the Mexican military via the U.S. Northern Command. A U.S. Defense official emphasized that the operation was led by Mexican forces, stating, “this was a Mexican military operation, so the success is theirs.”
News of El Mencho’s death prompted widespread unrest, with cartel members blocking roads, torching vehicles and businesses, and causing residents to seek shelter. Authorities reported that 25 members of the National Guard were killed in six separate attacks in Jalisco on Monday, February 23, 2026.
El Mencho, 59 years vintage and originally from the state of Michoacan, was a founding member of the CJNG, which was established in 2009 and has since become one of the most powerful and violent drug cartels in Mexico, surpassing even the Sinaloa cartel in some respects. He co-founded the cartel with Érick Valencia Salazar, alias “El 85,” who was among 29 wanted cartel leaders taken into U.S. Custody last February, according to the Justice Department.
The U.S. State Department has identified the CJNG as having the “highest cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine trafficking capacity in Mexico,” and in recent years, the cartel has expanded its operations to include fentanyl trafficking into the United States. David Mora, an expert at the Crisis Group analysis center, described the CJNG as “certainly one of the most powerful organizations in Mexico in terms of military capacity, recruitment capability and weaponry.”
The death of El Mencho represents a major disruption to the CJNG’s operations and could have significant implications for the future of drug trafficking in Mexico. The development underscores the ongoing challenges Mexico faces in combating organized crime and the complex relationship between Mexican and U.S. Security forces.
This wanted poster released on Dec. 4, 2024 on the U.S. State Department website shows leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.” (U.S. State Department via AP)
A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle that was set on fire in Cointzio, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, amid reports the Mexican Army killed Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho.” (AP Photo/Armando Solis)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum looks at a slide with information about Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” during her the daily, morning news conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, the day after the Mexican army killed the cartel leader. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)
A charred vehicle sits at a damaged supermarket in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.” (AP Photo/Alejandra Leyva)
