The death toll from Mexico’s operation to capture Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes — known as “El Mencho” — has climbed sharply, with 25 National Guard members killed in six separate attacks in the state of Jalisco alone.
Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch made the announcement Monday, visibly emotional, as the full scale of the violence following Sunday’s military operation came into view. Also killed were a prison guard, a state prosecutor’s agent, and an unidentified woman. About 30 cartel suspects were killed in Jalisco, and four more in the neighboring state of Michoacán. All told, authorities put the total death count at at least 73, including security forces, suspected cartel members, and civilians.
As we reported yesterday, El Mencho — age 59 — was wounded during a military raid Sunday morning in the mountain town of Tapalpa, Jalisco, about two hours southwest of Guadalajara. Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said troops had tracked Oseguera Cervantes to the location after following one of his romantic partners. When special forces moved in, they immediately came under fire. Eight gunmen were killed at the site. The cartel leader and two bodyguards fled into a wooded area, where all three were wounded in a firefight. They were airlifted out, but Oseguera Cervantes died en route to Mexico City.
Trevilla also disclosed that in a separate location, soldiers killed another senior CJNG figure who had been coordinating the cartel’s violent response and reportedly offering more than $1,000 for every soldier killed.
The CJNG’s retaliation was swift and widespread. Cartel members set vehicles ablaze and threw up roadblocks across more than 20 states. Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, essentially shut down Sunday night. Smoke billowed over Puerto Vallarta, and travelers were seen running through the city’s international airport in a panic. More than 1,000 people were trapped overnight at the Guadalajara zoo, including families from neighboring states who could not safely return home.
By Monday morning, authorities said all 250-plus roadblocks had been cleared, and Guadalajara was beginning to return to normal. Schools were canceled in several states, however, and both the U.S. and Canadian embassies advised their citizens to shelter in place in affected areas.
President Claudia Sheinbaum publicly appealed for calm and praised the military’s efforts. The operation gave her government its biggest security win yet — and a tangible result to show the Trump administration, which has been pressing Mexico hard on drug trafficking and threatening additional tariffs if it doesn’t deliver results. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the U.S. provided intelligence support for the mission, calling El Mencho one of the top fentanyl traffickers targeting the United States.
U.S. Ambassador Ron Johnson said the operation demonstrated that bilateral security cooperation had reached its highest level yet under both presidents.
The CJNG is considered one of Mexico’s most powerful and aggressive criminal organizations, known for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine to the United States. The group was founded around 2009 and designated a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration in February 2025. It has a well-documented history of attacking the military, including using drones to drop explosives and planting mines. In 2020, the cartel carried out a brazen assassination attempt — using grenades and high-powered rifles — on the then-chief of Mexico City’s police force, who is now the country’s federal security secretary.
With no clear successor identified within the CJNG, analysts caution that rival criminal groups may move quickly to fill the vacuum. For coverage of how this security situation could affect travelers to the Yucatán Peninsula and beyond, keep watching Mexico Tribune.
Quick facts
- El Mencho’s real name: Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, age 59
- Killed: Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, in Tapalpa, Jalisco
- Total death toll: at least 73, including 25 National Guard members
- Roadblocks reported: more than 250 across 20 states, all cleared by Monday
- U.S. reward offered before his death: up to $15 million
- CJNG designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. in February 2025
- Countries issuing travel advisories: United States, Canada, India, among others
- Schools canceled Monday in multiple Mexican states