Mexican military kills cartel boss 'El Mencho' in US-backed raid

President Claudia Sheinbaum has faced growing pressure from Washington to intensify the fight against drug cartels accused of manufacturing and trafficking narcotics, especially the synthetic opioid fentanyl, across the border into the US.

Mexico’s defence ministry said Oseguera, 60, the architect of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was wounded during an operation by Mexican special forces in the town of Tapalpa on Mexico’s Pacific coast in Jalisco state, and later died in custody.

His body was transported to Mexico City on Sunday afternoon under heavy escort by National Guard troops.

Sources said Mexican forces led and carried out the raid with intelligence backing from the US.

A US defence official told Reuters that a new US-military-led task force was involved.

In contrast, Mexico’s defence ministry said it received “complementary information” from the US.

Soon after reports of El Mencho’s death, cartel members staged reprisals, blocking highways with burning vehicles and setting businesses on fire in more than half a dozen states, disrupting daily life in some areas.

No civilian deaths have been reported.

In Puerto Vallarta, one of Jalisco’s best-known beach destinations, anxious tourists posted on social media that the city felt like a “war zone”, as thick, dark smoke rose around the bay.

Air Canada, United Airlines, Aeromexico and American Airlines suspended flights in the area.

Former cop to cartel kingpin

Oseguera, a former police officer, founded CJNG and oversaw its rapid ascent.

The cartel takes its name from the western state of Jalisco, home to Guadalajara, one of Mexico’s largest cities.

In recent years, CJNG has become one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organisations, notorious for violent methods including forced labour and forced recruitment.

Under El Mencho, it also broadened into multiple illicit rackets beyond drug trafficking, such as fuel theft, extortion, human smuggling and complex financial fraud.

The cartel also pioneered the use of drones in attacks against civilians in remote parts of western Mexico as it expanded its territorial reach.

Sunday’s operation marked one of Mexico’s most high-profile strikes against trafficking networks that move billions of dollars’ worth of drugs, including fentanyl, into the US.

In recent years, rival Sinaloa Cartel leaders Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada were captured alive and are now held in US prisons.

The Trump administration praised El Mencho’s killing, but the violence that followed underscored the political tightrope Sheinbaum faces as her government ramps up its cartel offensive.

On Sunday, Sheinbaum said most parts of the country were functioning normally, though state education departments in various states announced that schools would cancel classes on Monday as a precaution.

Security specialists are now watching closely to see whether the raid and Oseguera’s death will splinter CJNG’s leadership and lead to internal battles.

“There will definitely be skirmishes between the various factions, and these spasms of violence could last for years,” said Carlos Olivo, a former US Drug Enforcement Administration assistant special agent in charge and a CJNG expert.

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, previously the US ambassador to Mexico, described Oseguera’s killing as a “great development” for the US and Mexico, and for wider Latin America.

In January, after the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump said “the cartels are running Mexico,” and warned “we are going to start now hitting land about the cartels.”

Sheinbaum has said she will strengthen co-operation with the US against cartels, while insisting Mexico’s sovereignty must be respected and warning against any unilateral US military action on Mexican territory.

In a social media post on Sunday, she said security officials would provide information on the operation.

Reuters