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Mexico Erupts After Cartel Head Killed 02/23 06:31
School was canceled in several Mexican states and local and foreign
governments alike warned their citizens to stay inside, as widespread violence
erupted following the army's killing of the powerful leader of the Jalisco New
Generation Cartel.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) -- School was canceled in several Mexican states
and local and foreign governments alike warned their citizens to stay inside,
as widespread violence erupted following the army's killing of the powerful
leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Nemesio Rubn Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho" was the boss of one
of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, notorious for trafficking
fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen
attacks against government officials who challenged it.
He was killed during a shoot-out in his home state of Jalisco as the Mexican
military attempted to capture him. Cartel members responded with violence
across the country, blocking roads and setting fire to vehicles.
President Claudia Sheinbaum urged calm and authorities announced late Sunday
they had cleared most of the more than 250 cartel roadblocks across 20 states.
The White House confirmed that the U.S. provided intelligence support to the
operation to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico's army for taking
down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries.
Mexico hoped the death of the world's biggest fentanyl traffickers would
ease Trump administration pressure to do more against the cartels, but many
remained hunkered down and on edge as they waited to see the powerful cartel's
reaction.
Many fear more violence
Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state and Mexico's second-largest city,
was almost completely shut down on Sunday as fearful residents stayed home.
Passengers arriving to the city's international airport Sunday night were
told it was operating with limited personnel because of the burst of violence.
Jacinta Murcia, a 64-year-old nutrition products vendor, was among those
nervously walking late Sunday night through the airport, where earlier in the
day travelers sprinted and ducked behind chairs fearing violence. Most flights
into the city were suspended on Sunday.
Murcia anxiously scrolled through news stories on social media showing the
face of "El Mencho" and sent messages to her children, who were tracking her
location as she tried to travel across the city to her house after dark.
"My plan today leaving the airport is to see if there are any taxis, but I'm
scared of everything. That there are blockades, that there's a curfew, that
something could happen," she said. "I'm all alone."
Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan and Guanajuato reported at least 14 other
people killed Sunday, including seven National Guard troops.
Videos circulating on social media showed tourists in Puerto Vallarta
walking on the beach with smoke rising in the distance.
In another part of the airport a group of elderly Mexicans gathered,
discussing how to get home.
"We better all go together," one said. "Go with God."
A blow against a cartel could be a diplomatic coup
David Mora, Mexico analyst for International Crisis Group, said the capture
and outburst of violence marks a point of inflection in Sheinbaum's push to
crack down on cartels and relieve U.S. pressures.
U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded Mexico do more to fight the
smuggling of the often-deadly drug fentanyl, threatening to impose more tariffs
or take unilateral military action if the country does not show results.
There were early signs that Mexico's efforts were well received by the
United States.
U.S. Amb. Ron Johnson recognized the success of the Mexican armed forces and
their sacrifice in a statement late Sunday. He added that "under the leadership
of President Trump and President Sheinbaum, bilateral cooperation has reached
unprecedented levels."
But it may also pave the way for more violence as rival criminal groups take
advantage of the blow dealt to the CJNG, Mora said.
"This might be a moment in which those other groups see that the cartel is
weakened and want to seize the opportunity for them to expand control and to
gain control over Cartel Jalisco in those states," he said.
"Ever since President Sheinbaum has been in power, the army has been way
more confrontational, combative against criminal groups in Mexico," Mora said.
"This is signaling to the U.S. that if we keep cooperating, sharing
intelligence, Mexico can do it, we don't need U.S. troops on Mexican soil."
'El Mencho' was a major target
Oseguera Cervantes, who was wounded in the operation to capture him Sunday
in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara, died
while being flown to Mexico City, the Defense Department said in a statement.
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.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said via X that the U.S.
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. She commended Mexico's
military for its work.
The U.S. 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 organizations
in Mexico and began operating around 2009.
In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a
foreign terrorist organization.
Sheinbaum has criticized 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 U.S. President Donald Trump took office a year ago, she has
been under tremendous pressure to show results against drug trafficking.
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.
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