(New York Times) The Mexican government said it killed the nation’s most wanted cartel boss on Sunday, a major victory in its new offensive against the country’s criminal groups and a move that could help reduce pressure from United States President Donald Trump, who has been threatening strikes in Mexico.
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was the longtime leader of one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and was widely regarded as one of the country’s most violent criminal figures.
He presided over a criminal enterprise that expanded rapidly over the past decade, producing and selling drugs and extorting local businesses.
He also built a reputation for brazen attacks on security forces and terrorizing communities across the country.
Mexican security forces killed Oseguera in Tapalapa, a town of about 20,000, in the western coastal state of Jalisco, where his cartel was founded and based, according to a Mexican government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe details of the operation.
Mexican officials have not disclosed other details of the operation but planned to report more later Sunday.
Oseguera’s killing set off a swift outbreak of violence across Mexico. In at least five states, including Jalisco, residents and local authorities reported burning vehicles blocking streets, a common practice by drug cartels.
The state of Jalisco said it had suspended public transportation in some areas and warned hotels to instruct their guests to remain inside. Some of the violence occurred in Guadalajara, Jalisco’s capital, which is a host city for this year’s World Cup.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, often referred to as the CJNG, grew into one of Mexico’s dominant trafficking organizations under Oseguera’s command, battling rivals across multiple states while moving synthetic drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine and, in recent years, fentanyl into the United States.
His death is a significant blow to the criminal group and could set off both internal power struggles and renewed violence as factions compete for control.
It is also likely to improve the Mexican government’s relations with Washington. Trump has been pressuring Mexico to combat the cartels more forcefully and threatening military strikes against the groups if he was not satisfied with the results.
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