 "How Mexican army gunned down drug cartel boss El Mencho with the help of US")
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aka El Mencho, one of Mexico’s most notorious drug lords, was gunned down by the country’s forces with the help of United States intelligence on Sunday (February 22). A US Defence official told Reuters that a US military-led task force, focused on gathering intelligence on drug cartels, played a role in the Mexican military raid. El Mencho, who was among the top US targets in Mexico, was captured in the town of Tapalpa.
After the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was killed, violence erupted across Mexico. Multiple roads were blocked by burning vehicles by suspected gang members. Videos shared on social media showed thick smoke rising over the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco.
An out-of-control situation also unfolded in the city of Guadalajara, where charred vehicles blocked roads, and businesses shut down just months before Mexico’s second-largest city is set to host matches during this summer’s soccer World Cup. Amid ongoing security concerns, several Mexican and international airlines have suspended flights to and from Puerto Vallarta, according to media reports.
We take a look.
How was El Mencho, the Mexican drug lord, killed?
According to US officials, the Joint Interagency Task Force–Counter Cartel, which brings together multiple US government agencies, was formally launched last month to map networks of drug cartel members on both sides of the US–Mexico border, Reuters reported.
The US official, who spoke to the media outlet on condition of anonymity, stressed that the raid was a Mexican military operation and did not provide any further details on what the US military-led task force may have offered Mexican authorities.
The US assembled a detailed target package for El Mencho and shared it with the Mexican government for its operation, without directly referencing the task force, a former US official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The former official said the comprehensive dossier contained inputs from US law enforcement and intelligence agencies, adding that the Jalisco cartel leader was among the top US targets in Mexico.
Mexican Secretariat of National Defence confirmed that Oseguera Cervantes was nabbed in the town of Tapalpa, in the western coastal state of Jalisco, where his cartel was originally founded and based.
“During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died,” the statement said as quoted by NDTV.
Two others were arrested, and authorities seized armoured vehicles, rocket launchers, and other weapons. During the operation, three members of the armed forces were injured and are currently receiving medical care, it added.
El Mencho managed to evade arrest for years despite a $15 million (Rs 125 crore to Rs 136 crore) US bounty for information leading to his capture. According to a New York Times report, it was a Mexican operation, and no US troops were involved in it.
What is the US Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel?
According to its website, the US Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel’s (JITF-CC) goal is “to identify, disrupt, and dismantle cartel operations posing a threat to the United States along the US-Mexico border”. It works with the Homeland Security Task Force National Coordination Centre.
Leading the task force is US Brigadier General Maurizio Calabrese. He told Reuters that the US military is drawing on its experience fighting groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State to map out cartel networks.
Calabrese noted that estimates differ significantly but suggested there could be a few hundred key cartel members at the top. “But then you have anywhere from 200,000 to 250,000 independent contractors that will help you move these drugs,” he said.
Ahead of the Mexican operation, while speaking to Reuters, a second US defence official said the task force fits into a broader US strategy against drug trafficking, with the military taking a larger role along the Mexico border.
The second official of the task force added, as quoted by NDTV, “The whole idea of creating an interagency effort is to not have stray voltage, is to bring it all together, synchronise it.”
How has the US reacted to the killing?
The White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the Donald Trump-led US government provided intelligence support for the operation.
The United States provided intelligence support to the Mexican government in order to assist with an operation in Talpalpa, Jalisco, Mexico, in which Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, an infamous drug lord and leader within the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was eliminated.… https://t.co/iKxsAMmnLN
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) February 23, 2026
“The United States provided intelligence support to the Mexican government in order to assist with an operation in Talpalpa, Jalisco, Mexico, in which Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, an infamous drug lord and leader within the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was eliminated,” said Leavitt.
“‘El Mencho’ was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland,” Leavitt added, commending Mexico’s military for its successful operation.
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said that he had been informed about the killing of El Mencho by Mexican forces, calling him one of the most ruthless drug lords.
I’ve just been informed that Mexican security forces have killed “El Mencho,” one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins. This is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world. The good guys are stronger than the bad guys./Los buenos somos más que…
— Christopher Landau (@DeputySecState) February 22, 2026
“This is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world. El Mencho is one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins. The good guys are stronger than the bad guys,” he wrote on X.
Who was El Mencho?
El Mencho was born in 1966. He was originally from Aguililla in the neighbouring state of Michoacan. He migrated to the United States at a young age. He was convicted in 1994 by the US District Court for the Northern District of California for conspiracy to distribute heroin and served nearly three years in prison, according to media reports.
Since then, he has been significantly involved in drug trafficking activities and was described as one of the world’s most-wanted traffickers.
He led the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the “most powerful and ruthless criminal organisations” inside Mexico, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
For years, Oseguera Cervantes dodged arrest until Sunday, when he was finally gunned down by Mexican forces in a US-backed operation.
With inputs from agencies
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