Violent clashes erupted in components of western Mexico on Sunday amid a navy operation that led to the dying of the Jalisco New Technology Cartel chief, triggering widespread safety issues all through the area.
Mexican safety forces killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also referred to as “El Mencho,” throughout an operation within the western state of Jalisco, Mexico’s Ministry of Protection mentioned in an announcement on X. It mentioned he was wounded throughout the raid within the city of Tapalpa and died whereas being flown to Mexico Metropolis.
The state of Jalisco is the bottom of the cartel identified for trafficking large portions of fentanyl and different medicine to the US.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who additionally confirmed the cartel chief’s dying, described him as “one of many bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins.”
“This can be a nice growth for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world. The great guys are stronger than the unhealthy guys,” he mentioned on X.
A U.S. protection official advised CBS Information that the U.S. navy performed a task within the operation through the Joint Interagency Process Pressure-Counter Cartel, which recurrently works with the Mexican navy via the U.S. Northern Command. The official emphasised that “this was a Mexican navy operation, so the success is theirs.”
Mike Vigil, former DEA Chief of Worldwide Operations, advised CBS Information that the navy operation was “some of the important actions undertaken within the historical past of drug trafficking.”
“As a result of we’re speaking about somebody that’s nearly on the similar stage as (Joaquin) “El Chapo” Guzman and (Ismael) “El Mayo” Zambada,” he added. “(Oseguera Cervantes) is likely one of the largest drug capos within the historical past of drug trafficking across the globe.”
Through the operation, troops got here beneath fireplace and killed 4 individuals on the location. Three extra individuals, together with Oseguera Cervantes, had been wounded and later died, the Ministry of Protection’s assertion mentioned. Two others had been arrested and armored autos, rocket launchers and different arms had been seized. Three members of the armed forces had been wounded and are receiving medical remedy.
The killing of the highly effective drug lord triggered a number of hours of roadblocks with burning autos in Jalisco and different states. Such ways are generally utilized by the cartels to dam navy operations.
Ulises Ruiz /AFP through Getty Pictures 
Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus Navarro activated a “code purple,” which is a protocol for a state of emergency or safety disaster, in response to the clashes. In a put up on X, he mentioned public transportation was suspended throughout Jalisco and urged individuals within the space to stay of their houses till the scenario was beneath management.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo on social media acknowledged the roadblocks however confused, “Within the overwhelming majority of the nationwide territory, actions are continuing with full normality.”
Movies circulating on social media confirmed plumes of smoke billowing over town of Puerto Vallarta, a significant metropolis in Jalisco, and sprinting via the airport of the state’s capital in panic.
“They’re burning buses, they’re shutting down roads, not solely in Jalisco, however Michoacan, Colima, Tamaulipas, Guanajuato, after which additionally Aguas Calientes,” Vigil mentioned. “And what they’re attempting to do is present that they’re nonetheless a drive to be reckoned with, that this was not a deadly blow to them.
In Guadalajara, Jalisco’s capital and Mexico’s second-largest metropolis the place the World Cup is scheduled to host matches this summer season, burning autos blocked roads.
An analogous scenario unfolded on the airport in Reynosa, a Mexican border metropolis within the state of Tamaulipas, sources on the bottom and members of the family within the metropolis advised CBS Information’ Nidia Cavazos. They mentioned roads to and from the airport had been blocked off by cartel members. Reynosa borders McAllen, Texas, and is usually filled with People touring backwards and forwards. Whereas worldwide bridges remained open, key streets to get to the bridges had been blocked off.
The U.S. State Division has launched a safety alert advising Americans in a number of Mexican states, together with Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon, to shelter in place till additional discover.
Air Canada briefly suspended operations on the Puerto Vallarta Airport due to what it described as “an ongoing safety scenario in Puerto Vallarta” that impacted the airport.
“We’re monitoring the scenario and involved with native authorities who’re working to resolve the difficulty,” the airline mentioned.
Ulises RUIZ /AFP through Getty Pictures 
Southwest and Alaska Airways confirmed they canceled flights to and from Puerto Vallarta on Sunday, whereas Delta Air Traces issued journey waivers to clients with flights into or out of the airport in Puerto Vallarta in addition to Guadalajara.
“The protection of our clients and crew at all times comes first and we’re carefully monitoring the scenario within the area. We now have taken steps to regulate our operation accordingly and are working to speak with our impacted clients,” Delta mentioned in an announcement.
The Jalisco New Technology Cartel, generally known as CJNG, is likely one of the strongest and fastest-growing legal organizations in Mexico. Oseguera Cervantes, 59, was initially from Aguililla within the neighboring state of Michoacán. He had been considerably concerned in drug trafficking actions because the Nineties. He helped co-found the Jalisco New Technology Cartel with Érick Valencia Salazar, alias “El 85,” round 2007.
Valencia Salazar was amongst 29 wished cartel leaders taken into U.S. custody final February, based on the Justice Division.
The Jalisco cartel has been some of the aggressive cartels in its assaults on the navy — together with on helicopters — and is a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and putting in mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination try with grenades and high-powered rifles within the coronary heart of Mexico Metropolis in opposition to the then head of the capital’s police drive and now federal safety secretary.
The DEA considers the cartel to be as highly effective because the Sinaloa cartel, considered one of Mexico’s most notorious legal teams, with a presence in all 50 U.S. states.
Since 2017, Oseguera Cervantes has been indicted a number of instances in the US District Court docket for the District of Columbia. The U.S. State Division had supplied a reward of as much as $15 million for data resulting in the arrest of El Mencho.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration 
In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a international terrorist group, saying that along with trafficking fentanyl, the group “engages in extortion, migrant smuggling, oil and mineral theft, in addition to weapons commerce.”
