Feb. 23, 2026, 10:46 a.m. MT
New details are emerging regarding the death of “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert on Feb. 22 for various parts of Mexico, advising U.S. citizens to “shelter in place until further notice” due to “ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity” in more than a dozen states after the cartel leader was killed.
Plumes of smoke escaped Puerto Vallarta and buses and trailers were torched — the chaos leading to 75 roadblocks in around 20 states across Mexico, which troops began to clear late Sunday, according to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Nemesio Oseguera, most commonly known as “El Mencho,” was killed in a raid by Mexican military special forces on Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, Mexico’s defense ministry said.
Here’s what to know about the capture of “El Mencho.”
What is the Jalisco New Generation Cartel?
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of Mexico’s most powerful drug cartels with a presence in more than 40 countries and affiliates and associates in almost all 50 U.S. states, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, or CJNG, as it is known in Spanish, was formed around 2010-2011 from the remnants of the Sinaloa cartel-affiliated Milenio cartel, the DEA reported.
The cartel’s co-founder and leader, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” had been wanted in the United States on drug trafficking charges since 2017.
The CJNG is a key source of fentanyl into the U.S., along with cocaine and methamphetamine. CJNG is also involved in other criminal enterprises, including human smuggling, extortion, gasoline theft and real estate scams, such as timeshare fraud, for money laundering purposes, the DEA stated
Who killed El Mencho in Mexico?
“El Mencho” was killed in a Mexican military raid on Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco.
According to Mexico’s defense ministry, the Mexican Air Force and the Special Immediate Reaction Force of the Mexican National Guard led the operation. Seven members of CJNG were killed at the scene or on their way to the hospital, the ministry said in a Feb. 22 statement, including El Mencho.
Sheinbaum held a news conference on Feb. 23, which was accompanied by Mexican Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, who detailed how intelligence sharing with the United States led to the raid that targeted “El Mencho.”
Mexico’s defense minister said roughly 80% of the weapons secured in the operation came from the United States.
The drug lord was born Rubén Oseguera Cervantes. He later adopted the name Nemesio.
“El Mencho” is short for Nemesio and has no other known meaning.
Was the US involved in the capture of El Mencho?
Sheinbaum held a news conference on Feb. 23, which was attended by Mexican Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, who detailed how intelligence sharing with the United States led to the raid targeting “El Mencho.”
Mexico’s defense minister said roughly 80% of the weapons secured in the operation came from the United States.
Where is El Mencho from?
The drug lord was born Rubén Oseguera Cervantes on July 17, 1966, in the small farming city of Aguililla in the western state of Michoacán.
El Paso Times reporters Daniel Borunda and Jeff Abbott contributed to this story. USA TODAY contributed to this story.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on X; natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook.
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