Cartel Kingpin Killed: Mexico Braces for Violent Fallout
Mexico erupts in cartel violence after El Mencho’s death. Over 250 roadblocks reported as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel retaliates nationwide.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — Schools in several Mexican states were closed and local and foreign governments warned citizens to stay indoors as widespread violence erupted after the military killed the powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," was the boss of one of Mexico's fastest-growing criminal networks, notorious for smuggling fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine into the United States and openly attacking government officials who challenged it.
He was killed during a shootout in his home state of Jalisco as the Mexican army tried to capture him. Cartel members rampaged across the country, blocking roads and setting vehicles on fire.
President Claudia Sheinbaum appealed for calm, and officials announced late Sunday that they had removed most of the more than 250 cartel roadblocks in 20 states. The White House confirmed that the U.S. provided intelligence support in the operation to capture the cartel leader and praised the Mexican army for capturing a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries.
Mexicans had hoped that the killing of one of the world's largest fentanyl traffickers would ease pressure from the Trump administration to take more action against cartels, but many remained fearful and anxious to see the powerful cartel's response.
Many fear further 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 at the city's international airport Sunday night were told the airport was operating with limited staff due to the escalating violence.
Jacinta Murcia, a 64-year-old nutrition product seller, was among those who walked through the airport in panic late Sunday night, after earlier in the day passengers were fleeing and hiding behind chairs, fearing violence. Most flights into the city were suspended on Sunday.
Murcia anxiously watched news stories showing the face of "El Mencho" on social media and texted her children, who were tracking her location as she tried to get home into the city after dark.
"My plan when I leave the airport today 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 might happen," she said. "I'm all alone."
Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan, and Guanajuato reported that at least 14 more people were killed on Sunday, including seven National Guard soldiers.
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Videos circulating on social media showed tourists walking on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, with smoke rising in the distance.
In another part of the airport, a group of elderly Mexicans gathered, discussing how to get home.
A blow against the cartel could be a diplomatic coup
David Mora, a Mexico analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the arrest and the outbreak of violence mark a turning point in Sheinbaum's efforts to crack down on the cartel and ease U.S. pressure.
U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded Mexico do more to combat the smuggling of the often-deadly drug fentanyl, and has threatened to impose higher tariffs or take unilateral military action if the country doesn't show results.
Initial indications were that Mexico's efforts were well received by the United States.
U.S. Amb. Ron Johnson acknowledged the success and sacrifices of the Mexican Armed Forces in a statement late Sunday. He added, "Under the leadership of President Trump and President Sheinbaum, mutual cooperation has reached a level never seen before."
But Mora said this could also pave the way for more violence as rival criminal groups could take advantage of the setback suffered by the CJNG.
He said, "This could be a moment when other groups see the cartel weakened and will seek to seize the opportunity to expand and gain control over Cartel Jalisco in those states."
Mora said, "Since President Sheinbaum came to power, the military has become much more confrontational and combative against criminal groups in Mexico." “This is signaling to the U.S. that if we continue to cooperate and share intelligence, Mexico can do it; we don't need U.S. troops on Mexican soil.”
‘El Mencho’ was a major target
The Department of Defense said in a statement that Oseguera Cervantes, who was wounded in the operation to capture him on Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara, died while being transported to Mexico City.
During the operation, troops came under fire, killing four people at the scene. The statement said that three more people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died.
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