Romantic Tryst Led To Mexican Cartel Leader’s Capture, Death

MEXICO CITY, Feb 23 (Reuters) – A tip about the romantic dealings of drug lord Nemesio Oseguera led Mexican authorities to the cartel leader’s hideout in a small town in the state of Jalisco, where he was killed, Mexican officials said on Monday, in the first account of an ambush that sparked violence across much of Mexico.

At least 62 people — including 25 members of the National Guard military police and 34 suspected gang members — died in the early Sunday raid on Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” and in the violence that followed, while cartel loyalists set fire to cars at 85 roadblocks in more than a dozen states, authorities said.

Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said early Monday that the situation was back to normal and the barricades were under control.

Still, Mexico has stepped up security with the deployment of 2,000 troops in Jalisco, a stronghold of Oseguera’s notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), and both Mexicans and tourists in the state’s famed coastal towns were concerned that the violence was quickly spreading to far corners of Mexico.

Oseguera’s death is a blow to the CJNG, a highly diversified criminal organization, and a victory for the Mexican government after pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to crack down on the cartels. But victory could lead to more violence in a country that has been plagued for years by murders and disappearances at the hands of organized crime.

“Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have experienced this, but this time the situation seems a little more worrying because there is no successor to these cartels,” said Fabiola Cortes, a teacher in Mexico City. “We really hope our president will do something for us, protect us, because frankly fear is everywhere in the streets.”

Oseguera, Mexico’s most wanted cartel leader, was also the mastermind of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a rival of the infamous Sinaloa Cartel. The US offered a reward of $15 million for information leading to his arrest.

The United States provided intelligence to pinpoint the compound in the town of Tapalpa where Mexican authorities found the cartel boss, but Mexican officials emphasized that they led the operation.

President Sheinbaum said, “There was no participation in this operation by US forces. There was only an exchange of information.”

Oseguera died in a helicopter after being injured during a military operation by Mexican special forces in a forested area outside the town of Tapalpa in the western state of Jalisco, according to a statement from the Mexican defense ministry.

Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla said information from a confidant of one of Oseguera’s romantic partners helped authorities quickly plan the next day’s raid on the crime boss’s compound.

During the raid, Oseguera’s gunmen opened fire on security forces, and the conflict moved to a cabin in the woods, where he was wounded along with two of his bodyguards. The three were transported by helicopter to Mexico City but did not survive, Trevilla said.

“Unfortunately, they died on the way,” Trevilla said at the president’s daily press conference. He drowned while offering his condolences to the families of the dead police officers.

Officials added that rifles containing grenade launchers, rocket launchers and mortar rounds were found at the raid site.

The Mexican Attorney General’s Office announced that the investigation is continuing in 14 states, which correspond to almost half of the country, and Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch said that at least 70 people were arrested in seven states.

Throughout Sunday, suspected cartel members set fire to vehicles and businesses, blocked roads and disrupted travel in protest of Oseguera’s killing.

According to the defense ministry, the attacks in Jalisco were carried out by Oseguera’s right-hand man and top financial chief known as “El Tuli”; He was also killed in a clash with security forces while trying to arrest him.

The cartel operator offered a reward of 20,000 pesos ($1,160) for the deaths of military personnel, according to Trevilla.

Garcia added that authorities are closely monitoring any backlash or restructuring within the cartel that could lead to more violence. “Many leaders of this criminal organization already have special surveillance,” he said.

The flare-ups caused airlines to cancel flights on Sunday, and shares of Mexican airline Volaris and airport operators GAP and ASUR were down more than 4% on Monday morning. Airline Aeromexico said it was gradually resuming flights on Monday, while Air Canada said it would resume flights to the popular beach resort of Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday and flights to Jalisco’s capital, Guadalajara, on Wednesday.

Ryan Davis was among the foreign tourists shocked by Sunday’s violence in Puerto Vallarta. “It was surreal because we’re going to the airport and we’re running from burnt-out cars in the middle of the street,” he recalled.

State oil company Pemex said its operations were running normally and fuel supplies were guaranteed across the country, following unconfirmed video footage showing a shootout and intense gunfire at a Pemex gas station. Femsa, the Mexican holding company that operates Oxxo convenience stores located throughout Mexico, reported more than 200 incidents at its stores and gas stations.

The immediate impact will impact tourism, but could also put electronics and semiconductor manufacturing in Jalisco at risk if the unrest lasts long, said Kimberley Sperrfechter, emerging markets economist at Capital Economics.

Jalisco is the birthplace and leading producer of tequila, as well as an agricultural center for electronics manufacturing and products such as eggs, strawberries, and avocados.

“Beyond the macro consequences, the murder shows that the Mexican government is doing what it can to appease the Trump administration ahead of this year’s USMCA review,” he added, referring to the U.S.-Canada-Mexico free trade agreement.

But on Monday morning, US President Donald Trump called on Mexico to further step up its efforts targeting drug cartels. “Mexico must increase its efforts against Cartels and Drugs!” he wrote in a social media post.

While the U.S. has been pushing Mexico to take more action against drug trafficking, Mexican officials have long called on the U.S. to do more to limit illegal firearm sales that support the massive, lethal arsenals of cartels operating on its territory. Approximately 70% of illegal weapons traced in Mexico came from the United States, according to US government data

($1 = 17.2571 Mexican pesos) (Reporting by Raul Cortes, Aida Pelaez-Fernandez, Sarah Morland, Lizbeth Diaz and Iñigo Alexander, additional reporting by Rodrigo Campos, Diego Delgado, Amy McConaghy and Monica Naime; Editing by Christian Plumb, Mark Porter, Daina Beth Solomon and Michael Perry)