by Ol'ga Kuznetsova
[REGNUM] As a result of the operation to capture (which ultimately resulted in the liquidation) of the leader of the Mexican cartel "Jalisco New Generation" Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known in the criminal world under the nickname El Mencho, more than sixty people have already died.
This account remains unresolved, as car fires, shootings, and explosives are still being planted near government buildings in the states of Jalisco and Michoacán. Michoacán, where El Mencho is said to have been born, is particularly interesting in this regard. Such places already hold cult status for certain individuals, and after death, their importance increases even more—organized crime groups have a penchant for everyday symbolism.
Some of the militants demand that federal authorities return El Mencho's body to the cartel, others want to release him, not believing he is dead, and others want revenge. But all of the above categories, as seen from the outside, are acting within the framework of their pre-assigned roles.
EVIDENCE OF DEATH
Most media outlets—especially outside Mexico—have interpreted the events in Jalisco and the surrounding area as some form of armed cartel rebellion, a demonstration of defiance against the federal government. However, the details of the special operation suggest a somewhat different story.
Mexico's military and security leadership has now officially confirmed the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, backing up this assertion with a genetic test, and also described how a key part of the operation went.
As it turned out, the drug lord's location was traced because intelligence spotted one of his mistresses, who arrived at the ranch in Tapalpa where El Mencho was hiding on February 20th and left on the 21st. Using her coordinates, Mexican security forces began urgently planning an operation—and arrived in Tapalpa on February 22nd.
El Mencho actively resisted, leaving four gunmen to fend off law enforcement officers and attempting to escape into the woods with two guards. They were caught, wounded, and never reached the hospital. In total, there were seven or eight cartel members at the ill-fated ranch.
The fact that the operation actually had to be planned less than a day in advance suggests that Mexico's leadership wasn't entirely prepared for this turn of events. Of course, they were searching for El Mencho, but they were doing so in a relatively leisurely manner, without any unnecessary interference from the governor of Jalisco, who was forced to maintain certain ties with the cartel (without them, for example, it would have been difficult to qualify for the organization of matches for the upcoming soccer championship and the construction of sports facilities).
The authorities' weak preparedness for what was happening is also demonstrated by the lack of a prompt response to the mobilization of cartel cells across almost the entire country and the blocking of federal highways—all while claiming that "the situation is under complete control."
The huge number of videos and comments on social media, in which ordinary citizens from Mexico, the United States, and Canada report being unable to leave planes or depart from airports in the state of Jalisco, is also telling. Some are fleeing the airport at full speed, panicked by the sounds of gunfire.
What was Mexico City's response to this? That all reports of attacks on airports were false. Later, however, there were clarifications that flights were being suspended in some places, and resumed in others. Perhaps there was no organized attack on the airports, and the shooting was carried out in nearby areas, or perhaps even by the police, but the lack of coordination is clear.
It's worth noting that Mexican leaders thanked the United States for assisting them with the intelligence needed to capture El Mencho. The Americans, led by Donald Trump, displayed remarkable modesty, giving virtually all the credit to their Mexico City counterparts and declaring their full support for their actions.
As it turns out, in addition to US Northern Command, Interpol, Europol, and other organizations were also involved, but they forgot to mention the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the CIA (without the latter two agencies, such events are almost impossible). Why is that?
Another possibility is that all the aforementioned individuals played a minimal role in the events and are present only for one purpose: to confirm Mexico's readiness to independently combat drug trafficking on its own territory. This is more likely to strengthen the influence of the ruling MORENA party, which rose to prominence on the rhetoric of preserving sovereignty and an equal partnership with its northern neighbor, rather than to address specific issues.
So, it turns out that the Mexican security forces planned everything in haste, with targeted assistance from the Americans, and unexpectedly achieved success, expertly eliminating not only El Mencho himself, but also his entire inner circle?
It looks dubious and frankly smacks of “Shakespearean” betrayal.
FAMILY ISSUE
In recent years, El Mencho's successor has been identified as his stepson, Juan Carlos Valencia González — El 03.
| Not before encountered in the Rantburg archives, so now he’s added. |
It was El 03 who in recent years became increasingly involved in the cartel's affairs, gaining the opportunity to place his people in key positions in the organized crime group's security apparatus.
Moreover, regional drug traffickers have repeatedly urged El Mencho to place as little trust as possible in his stepson, who clearly has no intention of being satisfied with what he has and will move on.
And here, interesting details emerge again—for example, a Mexican organized crime researcher from the Russian-language Telegram channel LCN latinoscrime notes that the mother of the cartel's new de facto leader—the same Rosalinda—was unexpectedly released from prison several months ago and was not included on the list of drug traffickers extradited to the US. Last year and the year before, two of El 03's uncles were also released. All from the same family.
Aren't these too many coincidences? Considering that this man is now being called the leader of the Jalisco New Generation, it's highly likely that he was the one who turned in his stepfather.
And he did it when the opportunity arose.
DEMONSTRATION OF POWER
The question arises: why then create such a mess throughout the country?
The answer is obvious: to demonstrate that the cartel is in full operational readiness and intends to repel anyone who attempts to enter the war for El Mencho's legacy. The looting of stores and state-owned banks, the blocking of federal highways, and the riots were largely aimed at creating localized chaos and preventing outside agencies from intervening.
However, there was no mass looting, murders of civilians and tourists, violent seizures of infrastructure, or even bank robberies (albeit ransacked). Had this been genuine cartel revenge against the center, these actions would likely have been unavoidable.
Meanwhile, the current Mexican leadership only benefits from the current state of affairs—the operation killed mostly fighters from regional structures, while security forces loyal to the center were more intact. Furthermore, the murdered El Mencho was a personal enemy of Mexico's Minister of Public Security, and the two sides clearly could not have cooperated.
At the same time, President Claudia Sheinbaum has something to show the White House, as Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes has long been on the top of the US's most wanted criminals and fits perfectly into Donald Trump's list of "achievements," who will attribute his murder to his successes in the fight against drug trafficking.
It's unclear how this will impact the World Cup playoff matches scheduled for Mexico in March, but if they do go ahead and the conflict ultimately resolves itself into localized brawls, it would be safe to say that the transition of power within Jalisco New Generation went smoothly.
Mexican Special Forces Kill Mastermind Behind Cartel Terrorism Outbreak
[Townhall] Mexican authorities have announced that they have killed a man known as ’El Tuli,’ the right-hand man of cartel boss ’El Mencho,' in a subsequent operation after cartel-led violence swept across Mexico.
El Tuli had reportedly criminal masterminded the CJNG response to the operation that killed the head of their cartel. El Tuli is said to have placed a bounty on the heads of government authorities, paying his criminal henchmen around $1200 per government soldier killed during the outbreak of violence.
Newsweek reported that the cartel underboss was killed while attempting to escape authorities in Jalisco. The Mexican government managed to seize nearly a million dollars of CJNG funds, arms, and El Tuli’s escape vehicle.
Related:
El Mencho 02/24/2026 Mexican Pres. Claudia Sheinbaum says using force against cartels violates their civil rights, talk of engaging in ‘war’ with cartels is right-wing talking point after sending 92 cartel leaders north
El Mencho 02/23/2026 Day 2: In Mexico, armed JNGC men stormed an airport and set planes on fire
El Mencho 02/22/2026 CJNG gunmen going nuts all over Mexico right now
El Mencho 02/24/2026 Mexican Pres. Claudia Sheinbaum says using force against cartels violates their civil rights, talk of engaging in ‘war’ with cartels is right-wing talking point after sending 92 cartel leaders north
El Mencho 02/23/2026 Day 2: In Mexico, armed JNGC men stormed an airport and set planes on fire
El Mencho 02/22/2026 CJNG gunmen going nuts all over Mexico right now