{"id":312614,"date":"2026-02-23T07:11:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T07:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/312614\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T07:11:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T07:11:10","slug":"violence-grips-parts-of-mexico-after-security-forces-reportedly-kill-drug-cartel-boss-el-mencho-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/312614\/","title":{"rendered":"Violence grips parts of Mexico after security forces reportedly kill drug cartel boss \u2018El Mencho\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the world\u2019s most wanted drug traffickers, the Mexican cartel boss known as \u201cEl Mencho\u201d, has been killed by security forces, Mexico<\/a>\u2019s defence ministry has confirmed. The operation set off a wave of violence, with torched cars and gunmen blocking highways in more than half a dozen states.<\/p>\n

The drug lord, whose real name is Nemesio Rub\u00e9n Oseguera Cervantes, was killed on Sunday in the western state of Jalisco along with at least six alleged accomplices, the ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The 59-year-old gangster was the leader of a group that in recent years has become Mexico\u2019s most powerful and notorious criminal organisation: the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.<\/p>\n

While less internationally famous than the Sinaloa cartel of the now imprisoned Joaqu\u00edn \u201cEl Chapo\u201d Guzm\u00e1n, the Jalisco group is a household name in Mexico where it is infamous for its displays of ultraviolence and its big, military-style arsenal.<\/p>\n

\"MembersMembers of the National Guard carry out an operation in Mexico City on Sunday. Photograph: Gerardo Vieyra\/NurPhoto via Getty <\/p>\n

The US had offered a $15 million (\u20ac12 million) reward for the capture of the drug boss, who was accused of smuggling huge quantities of cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine across its southern border. El Mencho\u2019s cartel, which was founded about 16 years ago and became Mexico\u2019s most influential crime group, was also accused of attempting to assassinate Mexican government officials.<\/p>\n

Senior US<\/a> officials celebrated El Mencho\u2019s slaying, which follows months of pressure from president Donald Trump<\/a> over the influx of drugs and migrants across the 3,145km border between the two countries. Trump has even threatened military action against cartels that he has claimed \u201care running Mexico\u201d.<\/p>\n

Writing on X, Christopher Landau, the deputy secretary of state, called El Mencho \u201cone of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins\u201d. He posted: \u201cThis is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exact circumstances of El Mencho\u2019s killing, which analysts called the biggest blow to Mexico\u2019s cartels in more than a decade, remained unclear on Sunday. The defence ministry said special forces troops from the army and national guard had launched an operation in Tapalpa, a town about 130km southwest of Jalisco state\u2019s capital, Guadalajara, to capture the fugitive drug lord, with support from the air force and military intelligence. While doing so, however, \u201cmilitary personnel came under attack\u201d and fought back.<\/p>\n

Four cartel members were killed at the scene, while another three died while being flown to Mexico City, among them El Mencho. Three troops were injured during the operation and were also transported to the capital for treatment, the ministry added.<\/p>\n

Two alleged cartel members were arrested with weapons that included rocket launchers capable of bringing down aircraft and destroying armoured vehicles. Footage published in one regional newspaper, El Occidental, showed scenes of what appeared to be heavy fighting in Tapalpa, which is located in Mexico\u2019s Sierra Madre mountain range.<\/p>\n

The defence ministry said US authorities had provided \u201ccomplementary information\u201d that had contributed to the operation\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

\"AA soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on fire, in Cointzio, Michoacan state, Mexico. Photograph: Armando Solis\/AP <\/p>\n

The Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel, which specialises in intelligence collection on drug cartels, played a role in the military raid, a US defence official told Reuters. The taskforce was quietly launched late last year with the goal of mapping out networks of drug cartel members on both sides of the US-Mexico border, US officials said.<\/p>\n

In a sign of El Mencho\u2019s huge influence across Mexico, as well as other parts of Latin America, his killing sparked an immediate outbreak of disorder across the region he ruled.<\/p>\n

Media reports said that on Sunday lunchtime \u201cnarco\u201d roadblocks made from burning cars, buses and trucks could be seen across at least eight Mexican states: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Michoac\u00e1n, Colima, Guerrero, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas. Video footage showed huge clouds of smoke rising into the skies above Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist city on Mexico\u2019s west coast known for its spectacular Pacific Ocean beaches.<\/p>\n

There were scenes of chaos in Jalisco\u2019s capital, Guadalajara \u2013 one of the 2026 World Cup host cities \u2013 as panicked passengers sprinted for cover, apparently fearing reprisal attacks from El Mencho\u2019s fighters. Armed men were seen torching vehicles in the heart of the city.<\/p>\n

\u200bOne video posted on social media showed a group of heavily armed men setting fire to a petrol station in Guadalajara after pulling up in a white car.<\/p>\n

\"Mexico'sMexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum offered no immediate confirmation of El Mencho\u2019s killing. Photograph: Yuri Cortez\/AFP via Getty <\/p>\n

Jalisco\u2019s state governor, Pablo Lemus Navarro, urged its 8 million citizens to stay at home \u201cuntil the situation is brought back under control\u201d. Lemus said public transport services were being suspended and said people should not travel on the state\u2019s roads because of the \u201cviolent events\u201d that had spread to at least five parts of the country.<\/p>\n

The US embassy in Mexico City also issued a security alert, urging US citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon states to \u201cshelter in place\u201d in affected regions as a result of \u201congoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity\u201d.<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s government said: \u201cCriminal groups have set up roadblocks with burning vehicles in several cities in Jalisco state … There have been shoot-outs with security forces and explosions … If you\u2019re [there] keep a low profile [and] monitor local and international media to stay informed of the rapidly evolving situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reacting to the attacks after El Mencho\u2019s killing, Landau wrote on X: \u201cI\u2019m watching the scenes of violence from Mexico with great sadness and concern. It\u2019s not surprising that the bad guys are responding with terror. But we must never lose our nerve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mexico\u2019s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, offered no immediate confirmation of El Mencho\u2019s killing, telling reporters they would soon be briefed by her security council. \u2013 Guardian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the world\u2019s most wanted drug traffickers, the Mexican cartel boss known as \u201cEl Mencho\u201d, has been…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":312615,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[969,42,2628,43,40,38,41,39,115],"class_list":{"0":"post-312614","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-donald-trump","9":"tag-headlines","10":"tag-mexico","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-top-news","13":"tag-top-stories","14":"tag-topnews","15":"tag-topstories","16":"tag-united-states"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312614\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/312615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=312614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=312614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}