Deadly Backlash Follows Killing of Cartel Boss 'El Mencho' as 25 National Guard Troops Slain in Retaliatory Attacks

Mexico City – February 23, 2026 – The Mexican military's killing of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes — the infamous leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) known as “El Mencho” — has unleashed a wave of retaliatory violence across the country, leaving at least 25 National Guard members dead in targeted attacks and plunging parts of Mexico into temporary chaos.

The operation unfolded Sunday in the mountainous town of Tapalpa, Jalisco — the heartland of the CJNG — where troops attempted to capture the long-elusive drug lord. Oseguera was wounded in a fierce shootout, along with several of his associates. He died en route by air to Mexico City for medical treatment, according to the Defense Ministry. Four alleged cartel members were killed at the scene, with additional fatalities during transport.

El Mencho, 59, had built the CJNG into Mexico's most dominant and aggressive criminal syndicate since around 2009, flooding the U.S. with fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine while engaging in extortion, fuel theft, and brazen assaults on security forces — including attacks on helicopters, drone bombings, and land mines. The cartel was designated a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration in 2025, with a $15 million U.S. bounty on his head.

The response from CJNG operatives was swift and widespread. Cartel gunmen carried out coordinated strikes in Jalisco and at least 19 other states, employing classic tactics: setting up more than 250 roadblocks ("narcobloqueos"), torching vehicles, buses, businesses, and infrastructure to impede authorities. In Jalisco alone, 25 National Guard troops were killed across six separate ambushes, alongside a prison guard, a state prosecutor's agent, and a civilian woman. Authorities reported about 30 suspected criminals killed in Jalisco clashes, with four more in Michoacán. At least 14 additional deaths were tallied Sunday in Jalisco, Michoacán, and Guanajuato.

The unrest hit hardest in Guadalajara, Jalisco's capital, where the city ground to a near standstill: schools closed, public transit halted, supermarkets vandalized, and charred vehicles littered parking lots near malls. Over 1,000 people — including families with children and elderly visitors — were stranded overnight at the city's zoo, sleeping in buses under police protection for safety. By early Monday, some normal activity resumed, though many residents remained fearful.

In the tourist hotspot of Puerto Vallarta, social media videos captured smoke plumes rising in the distance as visitors continued beach walks amid the tension. Guadalajara's international airport operated with reduced staffing Sunday night, contributing to travel disruptions.

President Claudia Sheinbaum urged calm in statements Sunday and Monday, praising the armed forces and security cabinet for their work toward "peace, security, justice, and the well-being of Mexico." She emphasized that normalcy had returned in most areas, with roadblocks largely cleared by authorities. Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch detailed the troop losses and confirmed the restoration of order in many zones.

The U.S. provided intelligence support for the operation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed, hailing it as a win against fentanyl trafficking. U.S. Ambassador Ron Johnson praised Mexican forces' "success and sacrifice," noting unprecedented bilateral cooperation under Presidents Trump and Sheinbaum. The U.S. Embassy issued shelter-in-place directives for personnel and citizens in affected regions, including Jalisco and parts of Michoacán.

Experts caution that El Mencho's death — while a major triumph for Sheinbaum's administration and a potential easing of U.S. pressure — risks fracturing the CJNG and inviting rival groups to exploit the power vacuum, possibly intensifying violence in contested territories.

By Monday morning, many blockades had been dismantled, schools in several states prepared to reopen, and officials reported stabilizing conditions, though the full toll and long-term fallout from the cartel leader's demise remain under close watch.

17GEN4.com