Mexico is grappling with widespread violence following the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The operation to locate and apprehend El Mencho, a figure considered among the most wanted criminals on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, resulted in a significant clash with cartel members and a subsequent wave of unrest across multiple states. This event underscores the ongoing challenges Mexico faces in combating powerful drug cartels and maintaining security.
Mexican authorities located El Mencho on Sunday, February 22, 2026, in the rural municipality of Tapalpa, according to an official statement. During a firefight, eight CJNG members were killed and several others were gravely wounded, including El Mencho himself. He later died while being transported to Mexico City for medical treatment.
The operation left a total of 62 people dead, including 25 members of the National Guard, and 70 were arrested. Following the news of El Mencho’s death, widespread chaos erupted, with reports of hundreds of narco-blockades and roadblocks reported across 20 different Mexican states, including Baja California, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán, and Tamaulipas.
The U.S. State Department issued a shelter-in-place warning for U.S. Citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, and parts of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Nuevo León, as violence spread. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo urged citizens to remain “calm,” stating on X that “in most parts of the country, activities are proceeding normally.”
El Mencho had been wanted for years by the United States, which alleged that he and the CJNG were responsible for trafficking large quantities of fentanyl and other drugs into the U.S. A $15 million reward was offered for information leading to his capture. Despite his death, authorities anticipate the CJNG will continue to operate. Insightcrime.org reports that the cartel faces a new era of succession and potential fragmentation.
According to reports, the CJNG, under El Mencho’s leadership, was more vertically integrated than other Mexican criminal networks. He allegedly brokered an alliance with the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel last year to battle a rival faction known as the Mayiza in the state of Sinaloa. CBS News details that El Mencho entered the U.S. Illegally in the 1980s and was deported multiple times before rising to power within the CJNG.
The violence that followed the operation included the setting of vehicles ablaze and attacks on security forces. The BBC reports that aircraft from the Mexican Air Force and the National Guard were deployed during the operation, and several armored vehicles and weapons, including rocket launchers, were seized.
According to reports, at least 25 agents of the National Guard died in the attacks following the operation to capture El Mencho in Jalisco. The Mexican government confirmed that 28 people died in the attacks, most of whom were military personnel. The New York Times and KKTV have more on the unfolding situation.
