Violence Flares in Mexico After Top Cartel Leader ‘El Mencho’ Killed by Military

The White House confirmed that the United States provided intelligence support for the operation to capture El Mencho.

A burnt bus set up as a blockade by members of organized crime following a military operation in which Mexican officials said cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera, "El Mencho," was killed, at a tourist area, in Zapopan, Mexico, on Feb. 22, 2026. Gabriel Trujillo/Reuters

Violence erupted across parts of Mexico after the Mexican military killed cartel leader “El Mencho” on Feb. 22, including the reported burning of vehicles on highways and gunfire in public spaces.

El Mencho, whose real name is Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, also known as CJNG, one of the most powerful drug organizations in the country.