Death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, one of world’s most wanted drug traffickers, sets off wave of disorder across several Mexican states

One of the world’s most wanted drug traffickers, the Mexican cartel boss known as “El Mencho”, has been killed by security forces, Mexico’s defence ministry has confirmed. The operation set off a wave of violence, with torched cars and gunmen blocking highways in more than half a dozen states.

The drug lord, whose real name is Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, was killed on Sunday in the western state of Jalisco along with at least six alleged accomplices, the ministry said in a statement.

The 59-year-old was the leader of a gang that in recent years had become Mexico’s most powerful and notorious criminal organisation: the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

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The Mexican drug lord Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho. Photograph: DEA

While less internationally famous than the Sinaloa cartel of the now imprisoned Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the Jalisco group is a household name in Mexico, where it is infamous for its displays of ultraviolence and its big, military-style arsenal.

Four cartel members were killed at the scene, while another three died while being flown to Mexico City, among them El Mencho.

Two alleged cartel members were arrested with weapons that included rocket launchers capable of bringing down aircraft and destroying armoured vehicles. Footage published in one regional newspaper, El Occidental, showed scenes of what appeared to be heavy fighting in Tapalpa, which is located in Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountain range.

Three troops were injured during the operation and were also transported to the capital for treatment, the ministry added. A Jalisco state official who requested anonymity later told the Associated Press that a member of the National Guard died in Tapalpa during the operation, six other National Guard members died in Zapopan, a jail guard was killed at a lockup in Puerto Vallarta when prisoners rioted, and an agent from the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office was killed in Guadalajara. Further details were not immediately available.

The defence ministry said the US authorities had provided “complementary information” that had contributed to the operation’s success.

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Smoke billows from burning vehicles in Puerto Vallarta amid a wave of violence following a military operation in which Mexican drug lord El Mencho was killed. Photograph: @morelifediares/Instagram/Youtube/Reuters

El Mencho’s killing caused an immediate outbreak of disorder across the region he ruled, displaying his huge influence across Mexico and other parts of Latin America. The unrest forced US and Canadian airlines to cancel dozens of flights. Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta “due to an ongoing security situation” and advised customers not to go to their airport.

On Sunday “narco” roadblocks made from burning cars, buses and trucks could be seen across at least eight Mexican states: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Michoacán, Colima, Guerrero, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas. Video footage showed huge clouds of smoke rising into the skies above Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist city on Mexico’s west coast known for its spectacular Pacific Ocean beaches.

There were scenes of chaos in Jalisco’s capital, Guadalajara – one of the 2026 World Cup host cities – as panicked passengers in the airport sprinted for cover, apparently fearing reprisal attacks from El Mencho’s fighters. Armed men were seen torching vehicles in the heart of the city.

​One video posted on social media showed a group of heavily armed men setting fire to a petrol station in Guadalajara after pulling up in a white car.

By Sunday night, Guadalajara turned into a ghost town as civilians hunkered down. School was cancelled on Monday in several states.

The US had offered a $15m (£11m) reward for the capture of El Mencho, who was accused of smuggling huge quantities of cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine across its southern border. El Mencho’s cartel, which was founded about 16 years ago and had become Mexico’s most influential crime group, was also accused of attempting to assassinate Mexican government officials.

Senior US officials celebrated El Mencho’s killing, which follows months of pressure from Donald Trump over the influx of drugs and migrants across the 1,954-mile (3,145km) border between the two countries. The US president has even threatened military action against cartels that he has claimed “are running Mexico”. Writing on X, Christopher Landau, the deputy secretary of state, called El Mencho “one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins”. He posted: “This is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world.”

The exact circumstances of El Mencho’s killing, which analysts called the biggest blow to Mexico’s cartels in more than a decade, remained unclear on Sunday. The defence ministry said special forces troops from the army and national guard had launched an operation in Tapalpa, a town about 80 miles south-west of Jalisco state’s capital, Guadalajara, to capture the fugitive drug lord, with support from the air force and military intelligence. While doing so, however, “military personnel came under attack” and fought back.

The US embassy in Mexico said that the operation was carried out by Mexican special forces “within the framework of bilateral cooperation, with US authorities providing complementary intelligence”.

The Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel, which specialises in intelligence collection on drug cartels, played a role in the military raid, a US defence official told Reuters. The taskforce was quietly launched late last year with the goal of mapping out networks of drug cartel members on both sides of the US-Mexico border, US officials said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called “El Mencho” a major “trafficker of fentanyl into our homeland”, adding that he had been a top target for the US government. She confirmed that the US had provided “intelligence support” to Mexico to assist with the operation.

As the unrest grew, Jalisco’s state governor, Pablo Lemus Navarro, urged its 8 million citizens to stay at home “until the situation is brought back under control”. Lemus said public transport services were being suspended and that people should not travel on the state’s roads because of the “violent events” that had spread to at least five parts of the country.

The US embassy in Mexico City also issued a security alert, urging US citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon states to “shelter in place” in affected regions as a result of “security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity”.

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As the unrest grew, Jalisco’s state governor, Pablo Lemus Navarro, urged its 8 million citizens to stay at home. Photograph: Reuters

Canada’s government said: “Criminal groups have set up roadblocks with burning vehicles in several cities in Jalisco state … There have been shootouts with security forces and explosions … If you’re [there] keep a low profile [and] monitor local and international media to stay informed of the rapidly evolving situation.”

Reacting to the attacks after El Mencho’s killing, Landau wrote on X: “I’m watching the scenes of violence from Mexico with great sadness and concern. It’s not surprising that the bad guys are responding with terror. But we must never lose our nerve.”

Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said: “There is absolute coordination with the governments of all states; we must stay informed and calm.

“The security cabinet’s social media accounts provide continuous updates. Activities are proceeding normally across most of the country.”