What you need to know about the killing of powerful cartel leader ‘El Mencho’ in Mexico – The Mercury News
By MARÍA VERZA, The Associated Press
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s military killed the leader of the country’s most powerful cartel and one of the United States’ most wanted on Sunday, marking a major victory as cartel members responded with violence across the country.
The killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes during an attempted arrest in Jalisco state was the worst cartel incident since the recapture of former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán a decade ago.
After the death of Oseguera Cervantes, gunmen unleashed violence across the country. Cars set ablaze by cartel members blocked roads in 20 Mexican states and left smoke billowing in the air. People locked themselves in their homes in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city and the capital of Jalisco, and school was canceled on Monday in several states as security forces were put on alert across the country. Even Guatemala has tightened security on its border with Mexico.
The killings could give the government a leg up in its dealings with the Trump administration, which has threatened tariffs or unilateral military action if Mexico doesn’t show results in its fight against the companies.
But the long-term impact on Mexico’s security environment remains unclear.
Here’s what you need to know:
‘El Mencho’ was the leader of a fast-growing gang
Oseguera Cervantes, better known as “El Mencho,” was 59 years old and originally from the western state of Michoacan. His ties to organized crime go back at least three decades.
In 1994, he was tried for heroin trafficking in the US and imprisoned for three years. When he returned to Mexico, he quickly became involved in the world of drug trafficking in Mexico.
Around 2009, he founded the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which became the fastest growing criminal organization in Mexico, transporting cocaine, methamphetamines, fentanyl and migrants to the United States, and using drones and improvised explosive devices.
The cartel gained notoriety for indiscriminate attacks on Mexican security forces, including the downing of a helicopter in Jalisco in 2015 and the attempted assassination of Mexico City Police Chief Omar García Harfuch, who is now Mexico’s security secretary.
It aggressively recruited people, experimented with new ways to reach potential members on the Internet, and made money through fuel theft, extortion and time fraud, among other activities.
Oseguera Cervantes died in a battle with the soldiers sent to capture him
Oseguera Cervantes was killed during an attempt to capture him, as his followers tried to fight the Mexican army.
The Ministry of Defense of Mexico said in a statement that the military has launched an operation in the southern part of the state of Jalisco to arrest Oseguera Cervantes, involving the Mexican Air Force and special forces.
The group attacked, and in the clash, the military killed four members of the gang and wounded three others, including its leader, who later died while being airlifted to Mexico City, according to the statement.
Three soldiers were injured and two people were arrested in this incident. Rocket launchers capable of shooting down aircraft and destroying armored vehicles were seized from the scene.
Mexico is willing to show Trump’s results in the fight against cartels
Oseguera Cervantes’ will help the Mexican government to show results to the US, pressuring its neighbor to pursue drug cartels more aggressively. Both countries said intelligence cooperation helped lead to Sunday’s operation.
Oseguera Cervantes was facing multiple charges in the United States and the US State Department had issued a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest. The Trump administration designated his cartel and other foreign terrorist organizations last year.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who was the U.S. ambassador to Mexico during the first Trump administration, applauded the X operation, writing: “The good are stronger than the bad. We salute the power of law and order in the great nation of Mexico.”
Mike Vigil, former head of international operations at the DEA, said that Mexico sent “a strong message to the administration of Donald Trump that they are fighting aggressively and effectively” against the most powerful companies. He added that “a lot of information comes from the Mexican armed forces and all the credit goes to Mexico.”
The death of the Cartel leader leaves a power vacuum
It is not yet clear who will succeed Oseguera Cervantes, or if there is even one candidate.
The Jalisco cartel is present in at least 21 of Mexico’s 32 states and operates almost throughout the United States, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration. But it is also a global organization and the loss of its leader can be felt outside of Mexico.
“El Mencho controlled everything, he was like the dictator of the country,” said Vigil.
His absence may slow the fleet’s rapid growth and development and leave it initially weak against the Sinaloa fleet in the few areas where they or their proxies fight. Sinaloa is locked in its own internal struggle, however, between the sons of “El Chapo” and a group loyal to Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who is imprisoned in the US.
Vigil said Mexico should seize the moment to launch a “direct attack based on intelligence.”
“This is a great opportunity for Mexico and the United States if they work together,” he said.
Security analyst David Saucedo said that if Oseguera Cervantes’ relatives control the company, the violence seen on Sunday could continue. If others take power, they will be more willing to turn the page and continue working.
The biggest fear would be that the wagon turns to indiscriminate violence. They may decide to “launch a narcoterrorism attack … and create a situation similar to that of Colombia in the 1990s,” a full-scale government attack with “car bombs, assassinations and airstrikes.”
