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Last Updated:February 23, 2026, 07:26 IST
President Claudia Sheinbaum faces growing US pressure to intensify operations against cartels trafficking fentanyl and other drugs.
A vehicle sits charred after being set on fire, on a road in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as"El Mencho." (AP)
Mexican security forces have killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as “El Mencho,” the top leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), in a major military operation Sunday that drew US support and unleashed waves of violent unrest across multiple states.
El Mencho — long one of Mexico’s and the United States’ most wanted drug lords for his leadership of the CJNG, a cartel blamed for exporting vast amounts of fentanyl and cocaine and for brutal violence, was wounded in the firefight and died during a medical evacuation flight to Mexico City, officials said.
President Claudia Sheinbaum has faced increasing pressure from Washington to step up operations against drug cartels responsible for producing and trafficking drugs, especially the synthetic opioid fentanyl, into the United States.
Following reports of El Mencho’s death, cartel gunmen set fire to vehicles and businesses, blocking highways across more than six states and bringing parts of the country to a standstill. Authorities reported no civilian fatalities.
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