CJNG Cartel Chief Killed in Mexican Operation

Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho”, was killed in a federal operation with the Mexican military in Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco State on Sunday.

Cervantes was the supreme leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the country’s most powerful drug trafficking organization, and oversaw the governance of a massive stretch of territory in the country’s west.

Authorities in Jalisco state, home to two major metropolitan areas of Puerto Vallarta, along the Pacific coast, and Guadalajara, where the organization was able to exert tremendous influence across the region, declared a ‘CODE RED ALERT’ to residents after the organization responded to state authorities and the Mexican National Guard with total violence.

Criminal associates of the organization began to seize vehicles from private citizens and set them afire in an attempt to install roadblocks across major roadways in the Central Mexican territories of Tamaulipas, Colima, and Guanajuato, including in Jalisco State in the nation’s west.

The CJNG reacted with unsurprising violence, launching ambushes on National Guard members across the region and clashing with authorities in Guadalajara.

In a post on X, Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro announced:

“Federal forces carried out an operation in Tapalpa a few hours ago, which has led to confrontations in the area. Also, as a result of this operation, in various points of that region and in other parts of Jalisco, individuals have burned and blocked vehicles to hinder the action of the authorities.”

Guadalajara Airport was also shut down as a result of the ensuing violence, as travelers were forced to take shelter after authorities confirmed heavy automatic gunfire near the airport’s perimeter.

“El Mencho,” a former Jalisco state police officer, previously served three years in a U.S. prison for selling heroin, led the CJNG on a swift rise to power, establishing drug smuggling routes on six continents, and exerting dominance over half of Mexican territory.

Cervantes was also wanted by U.S. authorities and had a $15 million bounty by the U.S. government for his capture.

Violence in Guadalajara will dampen the excitement of visitors from around the world, as the city will play host to several matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.