How Mexico Army Killed 'El Mencho', Drug Lord Who Evaded Arrest For Years

The Mexican government has said that its security forces have killed the country's most wanted cartel boss, setting off a wave of violent reprisals across several states as cartel operatives sought to exact revenge in a show of force. Nemesio Oseguera Ruben Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," was the leader of one of Mexico's most powerful cartels, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. He was widely regarded as one of the country's most violent criminal figures, with a $15 million bounty on his head from the United States. 

In a post on X, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum praised the military operation and urged the public to remain calm. "There is absolute coordination with the governments of all states," she wrote. "In the vast majority of the national territory, activities are proceeding with complete normality."

How El Mencho Was Killed

According to the Mexican Secretariat of National Defence, Cervantes was captured in the town of Tapalpa, a town of about 20,000, in the western coastal state of Jalisco, where his cartel was founded and based. He was wounded during a clash with soldiers and died while being transported to Mexico City for medical attention.

"During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died," the statement said. 

Two others were arrested, and armoured vehicles, rocket launchers and other arms were seized. Three members of the armed forces were wounded and are receiving medical treatment, it added.

At least nine other cartel members were also killed in the operation, according to media reports. 

Cervantes was known for evading capture. For years, he paid off police to cover his back as he operated with near-total impunity inside Jalisco. He also sought political protection. In May 2015, as Mexican forces closed in on him, his tipped-off henchmen shot down a military helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade to give their boss time to escape. 

Cervantes's killing is a major victory in Mexico's latest operation against drug cartels. The operation is likely to help reduce pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has been threatening strikes in Mexico. The Mexican government has said the United States had contributed intelligence that helped the operation against Oseguera.

However, it was a Mexican operation, and no American troops were involved in it, according to a New York Times report. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also said the US government provided intelligence support for the operation. "'El Mencho' was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland," she wrote in a post on X, commending Mexico's military for its work. 

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said he had been informed that Mexican forces had killed "El Mencho," describing him as "one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins."

"This is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world. The good guys are stronger than the bad guys," Landau wrote on X.

The Violence After

The killing of the drug lord set off several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles, tactics commonly used by the cartels to block military operations. Videos circulating on social media showed smoke billowing over the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, and people sprinting through the airport of the state's capital in panic.

Several Mexican and international airlines have suspended flight operations to and from Puerto Vallarta due to an ongoing security situation.

In Guadalajara, burning vehicles blocked roads and businesses shuttered just months before Mexico's second-largest city is scheduled to host matches during this summer's soccer World Cup.

The United States, India and several other countries have warned their citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon states to remain in safe places due to the security operations. Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus told residents to stay at home, suspended public transportation and said that the state was "living through critical hours."

The US Pressure

The US State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful and fastest-growing criminal organisations in Mexico and began operating around 2009.

In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organisation.

Sheinbaum has criticised the "kingpin" strategy of previous administrations that took out cartel leaders only to trigger explosions of violence as cartels fractured. While she has remained popular in Mexico, security is a persistent concern, and since US President Donald Trump took office a year ago, she has been under tremendous pressure to show results against drug trafficking.

About El Mencho and His Cartel

The Jalisco cartel has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military — including on helicopters — and is a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital's police force and now federal security secretary.

The DEA considers the cartel to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico's most infamous criminal groups, with a presence in all 50 U.S. states. It is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the US market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines. Sinaloa, however, has been weakened by infighting after the loss of its leaders Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, both in US custody.

Oseguera Cervantes, 59, was originally from Aguililla in the neighbouring state of Michoacan. He had been significantly involved in drug trafficking activities since the 1990s. When he was younger, he migrated to the US, where he was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 1994 and served nearly three years in prison.

Following his release from custody, Oseguera Cervantes returned to Mexico and reengaged in drug trafficking activity with drug lord Ignacio Coronel Villarreal, alias "Nacho Coronel." After Villarreal's death, Oseguera Cervantes and Erik Valencia Salazar, alias "El 85," created the Jalisco New Generation Cartel around 2007.

Initially, they worked for the Sinaloa Cartel but eventually split, and for years the two cartels have battled for territory across Mexico.