The Mexican military has killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," the most-wanted cartel leader in North America and head of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), according to a senior military official.
The operation, conducted in Jalisco state, marks a watershed moment in cross-border counternarcotics efforts. Reuters reports that a newly established U.S. military-led task force provided critical intelligence and operational support to Mexican forces, representing an unprecedented level of American military involvement in Mexican law enforcement operations.
El Mencho, 58, commanded a criminal organization that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration considered the world's most dangerous drug trafficking organization. The CJNG controlled methamphetamine and fentanyl smuggling routes into the United States, fueling an opioid crisis that has claimed hundreds of thousands of American lives. The U.S. State Department had offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture.
The new task force, comprising personnel from U.S. Southern Command, the DEA, and intelligence agencies, operated from a joint coordination center established in recent months. This arrangement marks a significant departure from traditional cooperation frameworks, giving American military planners direct involvement in targeting decisions—a development that raises questions about Mexican sovereignty and the future of bilateral security cooperation.
To understand today's headlines, we must look at yesterday's decisions. This operation reflects a recalibration of Washington's approach to the cartel threat. Since 2006, when Mexico launched its war against drug cartels, more than 350,000 people have been killed and 100,000 have disappeared. The CJNG, founded in 2010, emerged as the dominant force through extreme violence and sophisticated logistics.
Security analysts warn that El Mencho's death may trigger a succession war within the CJNG and retaliatory attacks against civilians and authorities. The cartel operates in two-thirds of Mexican states and has established cells in Europe, Asia, and Australia.
The Biden administration's decision to deploy military assets represents the most aggressive U.S. posture toward Mexican cartels since the 1990s. Whether Mexico's government, which has traditionally resisted foreign military presence on its soil, will accept this new paradigm remains to be seen. President Sheinbaum has not yet commented publicly on the U.S. role in the operation.
