El Mencho killed in Mexico military operation authorities confirm
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Ruben “Nemesio” Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho” and the powerful leader of Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) who rose to prominence after the ouster of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the former head of the rival Sinaloa Cartel, was killed in a military operation in Mexico on Sunday, authorities said.
Under Oseguera’s leadership, the CJNG expanded aggressively throughout Mexico, battling Sinaloa for control of key trafficking corridors to the United States and cementing its status as one of the world’s most formidable drug trafficking organizations.
His death marks the fall of one of the most influential and elusive cartel bosses of the post-El Chapo era, long seen by U.S. and Mexican authorities as the chief architect of fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau stated that he was informed that Mexican security forces killed Oseguera and described this as an important victory.
MEXICO FLYED 37 CARTEL MEMBERS TO THE USA UNDER PRESSURE FROM TRUMP ADMIN
El Mencho was killed during a Mexican operation in Jalisco on Sunday. (Drug Enforcement Administration)
“I have just learned that Mexican security forces have killed ‘El Mencho,’ one of the bloodiest and most brutal drug lords,” Landau wrote to X. “This is a great development for Mexico, the United States, Latin America and the world. The good guys are stronger than the bad guys.”
A senior State Department official also confirmed Oseguera’s death and cited Landau’s remarks.
The State Department issued a travel warning for many parts of Mexico on Sunday, urging U.S. citizens to shelter in place due to “ongoing security operations and associated road closures and criminal activity,” including parts of Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo León.
GOVERNMENT WARNED ABOUT ‘CONFLICTS’ TOURISTS IN MEXICO’S COASTAL CITY WERE TOLD TO STAY ON HOLIDAY
A soldier stands guard next to a charred vehicle that was set on fire following the death of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” on Sunday, February 22, 2026, in Cointzio, Michoacán, Mexico. (Armando Solis/AP Photo)
Oseguera, a former police officer, helped found the CJNG around 2009 after leaving the Sinaloa Cartel. In the years that followed, the group grew from a regional group to one of the most dominant human trafficking networks in the world.
U.S. authorities have continually increased the reward for information leading to his capture, at one point offering up to $15 million, making him among the most wanted fugitives worldwide.
Former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official Paul Craine once described Oseguera as “public enemy No. 1” and said he commanded “an army of thousands.”
Barbaric Murders, Amputations, Brutal Extortion: The Alarming Rise of Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation
The Drug Enforcement Administration in Atlanta seized over 1,000 pounds of meth linked to the violent ‘Cartel Jalisco New Generation.’ (Fox News)
Authorities have linked him to coordinated attacks on Mexican security forces, including a 2015 attack in Jalisco in which cartel gunmen used rocket-propelled grenades to shoot down a military helicopter.
Over time, the CJNG gained a reputation for projecting its power through public displays of force and social media messages, cementing its position as one of Mexico’s most feared criminal organizations.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
His death removes one of the most dominant figures in Mexico’s criminal underworld and could reshape the balance of power between rival cartels.
