Surveillance on a romantic partner helped put Mexican forces on the trail of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the notorious leader of the New Generation Jalisco Cartel known as “El Mencho.” captured and killed Sunday, Mexican authorities said Monday.
Mexican Defense Minister Gen. Ricardo Trevilla said Sunday’s Mexican special forces operation, which included U.S. intelligence, ended when special forces found Oseguera Cervantes “hiding in the brush” in his home state of Jalisco. After several shootouts, eight gunmen were killed and the drug lord and two of his bodyguards were injured. They were taken into custody and died on the way to Mexico City, Trevilla said.
In total, more than 70 people were killed in the operation and the resulting violence. including security forcessuspected cartel members and others.
A source informed about the operation said CBS News The raid was the culmination of increased antitrust cooperation between the United States and Mexico under Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Intelligence sharing has increased significantly in recent months through newly highlighted common interagency channels related to U.S. Northern Command.
This led to the capture of the most powerful cartel leader in the country and one of the largest cartel leaders in the United States. most wanted refugees According to Mexican authorities, the following happened:
Following a romantic partner
Both Mexico and the United States had spent years pursuing “El Mencho,” who had numerous outstanding arrest warrants in both countries for organized crime and drug trafficking. He had one 15 million dollars There was a U.S. bounty on his head and he was “the top priority for the DEA and, frankly, for federal law enforcement in the United States,” said a senior DEA agent in Mexico said CBS News in 2019.
This time, however, the intelligence efforts proved successful. Trevilla noted that military investigators identified and began pursuing a trusted associate of one of Oseguera Cervantes’ romantic partners. That person accompanied the woman to Tapalpa, Jalisco, on Friday for a meeting with the drug lord. The military official said the exact location was confirmed by “very important additional information” from U.S. intelligence.
Land and air blockade
After spending the night with “El Mencho,” the woman left and the special forces finalized their plans and confirmed that he was in the area with a security detail.
Mexican Army and National Guard units set up a ground cordon, while six helicopters and additional special forces stood by in states bordering Jalisco.
The Mexican Air Force provided further support with reconnaissance aircraft and aircraft, Trevilla said. In the early hours of Sunday morning, after his presence was confirmed, the operation began. Throughout the mission, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was kept informed of all developments during a trip to northern Mexico.
A violent reaction
General Trevilla described the criminals’ response as extremely violent.
During the confrontation, “El Mencho” tried to escape with two bodyguards, while a heavily armed group stayed behind to stop the military advance. The death toll at the scene reached eight, which Trevilla said was four more than initially reported Sunday.
Marco Ugarte / AP
The seized weapons included two rocket launchers, including one identical to the model the CJNG used to shoot down a military helicopter in 2015. That 2015 attack was a grim milestone and demonstrated that the cartel was prepared to confront Mexican authorities with lethal, all-out force.
“Hidden in the undergrowth”
Oseguera Cervantes tried to seek shelter in a wooded area with huts on the outskirts of Tapalpa. Although the criminals were heavily armed with rocket launchers, Trevilla noted that they were unable to use them. Special forces eventually found him “hiding in the undergrowth,” sparking another violent confrontation in which “El Mencho” and two of his bodyguards were injured.
Liberto Urena / REUTERS
During the chaos, a military helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing after being hit by gunfire and two people were arrested at the scene. Three soldiers were injured in the battle.
Dead on the way
After the crime scene was secured, the cartel leader and his bodyguards were loaded onto a helicopter to be transported to a nearby hospital. However, Trevilla confirmed that they died on the way and noted that they were already in a “critical condition.”
After her death, the flight schedule was changed. Instead of landing in the state capital Jalisco, the bodies were flown to Mexico City to forestall violent retaliation from the criminal organization.
Despite the loss of its founder, the cartel is expected to retain significant operational capacity, a source briefed on the operation told CBS News.
Another one Succession battle Within the cartel, regional commanders have begun fighting for power and control. In the past, the removal of cartel leaders in Mexico often resulted in the fragmentation of their organizations and secondary violence rather than collapse. Early indications suggest this pattern is repeating itself, with revenge attacks and destabilization efforts in up to 20 Mexican states.
$1,000 for each soldier killed
About 62 miles west of Tapalpa, a logistics and finance company known only as “El Tuli” is said to have offered gunmen a bounty of 20,000 pesos – over $1,000 – for each soldier killed, Trevilla said.
The defense minister also said “El Tuli” – supposedly Oseguera’s right-hand man – was the mastermind of a series of road blockades, arson attacks and attacks on government facilities across Jalisco state.
Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said the worst violence occurred in Jalisco, where 25 members of the National GuardA prison officer, a public prosecutor’s office employee and a suspected civilian as well as 30 suspected criminals were killed.
In neighboring Michoacán, four more gunmen died while 15 security forces were injured.
A paratroop brigade tracked down “El Tuli” and killed him in a shootout. They seized long and short firearms as well as nearly $1.4 million in mixed U.S. and Mexican currency. However, retaliation by the cartel continued in several Mexican states.
