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Mexico has deployed 10,000 troops to quell clashes sparked by the killing of the country’s most-wanted cause lord that claimed dozens of lives, officials said Monday (February 23, 2026).
Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, person of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was wounded Sunday successful a shootout with soldiers successful the municipality of Tapalpa, successful Jalisco State, and died portion being flown to Mexico City, the service said.
News of his decease triggered spasms of violence, with cartel members blocking roads successful 20 States and torching vehicles and businesses.
During the raid connected Oseguera and consequent clashes, astatine slightest 27 members of information forces, 46 suspected criminals and 1 civilian were killed, authorities reported.
A situation interruption successful Jalisco saw astatine slightest 23 radical flight erstwhile their jailhouse was attacked successful a hail of gunfire by “criminal groups,” according to the authorities information secretary.
Oseguera had a $15 cardinal U.S. bounty connected his head.
Fearful residents went into hiding and tourists took structure successful their hotels arsenic cartel members went connected the rampage implicit the weekend. Even arsenic calm mostly returned, galore businesses remained closed Monday.
The authorities sent an further 2,500 troops to Jalisco — 1 of the big cities successful this year’s FIFA World Cup — bringing to 10,000 the unit deployment since Sunday.
In Aguillila, the birthplace of “El Mencho” successful Michoacan state, residents reported blockades aboriginal Monday.
Police officers unafraid the country wherever vehicles were acceptable connected occurrence by organized transgression members to artifact a roadworthy pursuing a subject cognition successful which a authorities root said Mexican cause lord Nemesio Oseguera, commonly known arsenic "El Mencho," was killed, successful Zapopan, Mexico | Photo Credit: Reuters
Photos shared connected section societal media accounts showed a file of achromatic fume floating supra the upland village.
In Jalisco’s authorities superior Guadalajara, schools remained closed and astir nationalist proscription was suspended.
Large lines formed extracurricular the fewer tiny stores that remained open, peculiarly tortilla shops, arsenic anxious residents sought to banal up connected supplies.
Pharmacies were closed and astir “everything is closed,” Juan Soler, a retiree from Guadalajara, told AFP.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Maria de Jesus Gonzalez said. “Now I’m a small much calm, but a small afraid, still.”
Resort municipality rocked
The play unit besides gripped the edifice metropolis of Puerto Vallarta, fashionable with US tourists.
Travel warnings from Britain, Canada and the United States were issued successful the fallout, with Australia urging citizens to “exercise a grade of caution.”
Dozens of US and Canadian flights were cancelled.
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during a property league astir the question of unit successful Mexico, pursuing the sidesplitting of Mexican cause lord Nemesio Oseguera, known arsenic 'El Mencho' | Photo Credit: Reuters
Oseguera, 59, was considered the past of the cause lords who acted successful the brutal mold of the now-imprisoned Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, of the rival Sinaloa cartel.
He was a founding subordinate of CJNG, which was formed successful 2009 and has grown into 1 of Mexico’s astir convulsive transgression organizations.
With his lad Ruben “El Menchito” Oseguera Gonzalez, 35, convicted by a national assemblage successful Washington successful September, experts person warned the “absence of a nonstop succession” could pb to a powerfulness vacuum.
“That opens the doorway to convulsive realignments wrong the organization,” David Mora, an adept astatine the Crisis Group investigation center, told AFP.
Girlfriend tracked to kingpin’s location
Mexico said the cognition to prehend Oseguera was helped by “complementary information” from US authorities.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Washington “provided quality support.”
President Claudia Sheinbaum was adamant that nary U.S. forces took portion successful the seizure raid.
Key to locating Oseguera was 1 of his girlfriends, Mexican Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said.
Mexican intelligence, supported by the U.S. military, learned of a rendezvous betwixt the pistillate and the cause lord and utilized that accusation to way him to a ranch successful Jalisco State, Trevilla told reporters.
Two suspected cartel members were arrested and a assortment of weapons seized during the operation, including rocket launchers susceptible of downing airplanes and destroying armored vehicles, the service said.
Authorities besides announced the decease of his right-hand man, Hugo H., known arsenic “El Tuli.”
Washington has classified CJNG arsenic a violent enactment and accuses it of sending cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the United States.
The raid came amid ongoing unit from Trump for Mexico to stem the travel of drugs into the United States oregon look stiff tariffs.
