Violence Flares After Mexican Security Forces Kill Cartel Leader “El Mencho”

According to Rokna, citing The Guardian, the drug kingpin, whose real name was Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, died on Sunday in the western state of Jalisco alongside at least six suspected associates, the ministry said in a statement.

The 59-year-old headed a criminal group that in recent years had risen to become Mexico’s most powerful and feared organisation: the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Although less globally renowned than the Sinaloa cartel once led by the imprisoned Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the Jalisco cartel is widely recognised within Mexico, notorious for extreme brutality and its extensive, military-style weaponry.

Four cartel members were killed at the scene, while three others — including El Mencho — died as they were being airlifted to Mexico City.

Two suspected cartel members were detained with an arsenal that included rocket launchers capable of downing aircraft and destroying armoured vehicles. Images published by the regional newspaper El Occidental appeared to show intense clashes in Tapalpa, located in Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountains.

The defence ministry reported that three soldiers were wounded in the operation and transported to the capital for medical treatment. Later, a Jalisco state official, speaking anonymously to the Associated Press, said one National Guard member was killed in Tapalpa during the raid, six others died in Zapopan, a prison guard was killed amid an inmate riot in Puerto Vallarta, and a Jalisco state prosecutor’s office agent was slain in Guadalajara. Further information was not immediately released.

The ministry added that US authorities had supplied “complementary information” that aided the success of the mission.

El Mencho’s death sparked immediate unrest across territories under his influence, highlighting the cartel’s extensive reach throughout Mexico and parts of Latin America. The turmoil led US and Canadian airlines to cancel dozens of flights. Air Canada said it was suspending service to Puerto Vallarta “due to an ongoing security situation” and advised passengers not to proceed to the airport.

On Sunday, so-called “narco” blockades made from burning cars, buses and trucks were reported in at least eight Mexican states: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Michoacán, Colima, Guerrero, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas. Video footage showed thick plumes of smoke rising over Puerto Vallarta, a major tourist destination on Mexico’s Pacific coast.

Chaos unfolded in Guadalajara, Jalisco’s capital and one of the host cities for the 2026 World Cup, as frightened airport passengers rushed for safety amid fears of retaliatory attacks. Armed individuals were seen igniting vehicles in central districts. One video circulating on social media appeared to show heavily armed men setting a petrol station on fire after arriving in a white car.

By Sunday evening, Guadalajara had largely emptied as residents remained indoors. Schools in several states were closed on Monday.

The United States had offered a $15m (£11m) reward for information leading to El Mencho’s capture. He was accused of trafficking vast quantities of cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine across the US southern border. Founded roughly 16 years ago, his cartel had become Mexico’s most influential criminal organisation and was also accused of plotting attacks against Mexican officials.

Senior US officials welcomed the killing, which comes after months of pressure from Donald Trump regarding drug and migrant flows across the 1,954-mile (3,145km) US-Mexico border. The US president has previously threatened military action against cartels he claimed were “running Mexico”.

Posting on X, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau described El Mencho as “one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins,” adding: “This is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world.”

The precise details surrounding the killing — described by analysts as the most significant blow to Mexico’s cartels in over a decade — remained unclear. The defence ministry stated that army and National Guard special forces launched the operation in Tapalpa, about 80 miles south-west of Guadalajara, with air force and military intelligence support. During the mission, however, military personnel reportedly “came under attack” and returned fire.

The US embassy in Mexico said the action was conducted by Mexican special forces “within the framework of bilateral cooperation,” with American authorities providing supplementary intelligence.

A US defence official told Reuters that the Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel, which focuses on intelligence gathering on drug trafficking networks, participated in the operation. The task force was established late last year to map cartel networks on both sides of the US-Mexico border.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described El Mencho as a major trafficker of fentanyl into the United States and confirmed that Washington had provided intelligence assistance.

As unrest intensified, Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro urged the state’s 8 million residents to remain at home until order was restored. He announced the suspension of public transport and advised against travel on state roads due to violent incidents spreading to multiple regions.

The US embassy in Mexico City also issued a security alert, advising American citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Guerrero and Nuevo León to shelter in place amid security operations, road blockages and criminal activity.

Canada’s government reported that criminal groups had erected burning roadblocks in several cities in Jalisco and that shootouts and explosions had occurred. It urged those in affected areas to keep a low profile and follow media updates closely.

Reacting on X, Landau wrote that he was watching the violence “with great sadness and concern,” noting that retaliation was not unexpected but stressing that authorities must remain steadfast.

Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, stated that there was full coordination among federal and state governments and called on the public to remain calm and informed. She added that official security accounts were providing continuous updates and that normal activities were continuing in most parts of the country.