- Mexican forces killed drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, in an operation supported by U.S. intelligence.
- His death triggered coordinated violence across 20 states, including arson, road blockades and widespread disruptions to schools and travel in cities such as Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta.
- The killing marks Mexico’s most high-profile takedown of a cartel leader since the 2016 capture of Joaquín Guzmán, underscoring the cartels’ reach and capacity for rapid retaliation.
The Mexican government on Sunday killed drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” who created and led the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Oseguera was originally injured in the operation, then died during transport to Mexico City for medical help.
A surge of violence broke out in 20 Mexican states almost immediately following his death. Perpetrators set fires in local businesses and blocked roads with burning vehicles. As of Monday afternoon, at least 73 people have died in between the military’s operation and the aftermath, The Associated Press reported.
Security alerts went out to Americans on Sunday afternoon, asking them to shelter in place. Taxis and ride shares, as well as some domestic and international flights, were canceled in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta.
As of Monday afternoon, most airports have returned to normal operations, with Puerto Vallarta as the exception, U.S. Travel announced.
However, schools “of all education levels” were canceled in at least 11 municipalities on Monday, Al Día Noticias reported.
Oseguera’s killing is the highest-profile capture of a Mexican drug lord since the Mexican Navy Special Forces captured Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in 2016.
Mexico said the U.S. provided intelligence and unspecified support to the operation but did not have a presence on scene.
The cartels are ‘widespread and organized’
Jay Baer, the editor of the Tequila Report, was watching the Olympic U.S.-Canada hockey game at his home in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday morning when he heard pops coming from outside.
From his home perched on a hill, “I saw a plume of smoke, then I turned around and saw another plume of smoke, and turned around and saw a third plume of smoke,” Baer told the Deseret News.
He initially thought it was “weird that three fires were burning simultaneously,” then realized it was something coordinated. The number of fires in his view quickly grew from three to six, then six to nine.
Baer found it odd that there were no sirens accompanying the fires. But there was “no way” ambulances or police cars could have reached all of the damaged areas, because burnt cars were blocking many of the motorways.
In his neighborhood, “the whole thing was over in about 12 hours,” Baer said. “It started early yesterday morning, and most fires were out mid- to late-afternoon.” After that, “the army came in. There were some additional convenience store fires last night.”
“It is a good reminder that the cartels are widespread and organized,” Baer said. “While cartels are omnipresent throughout Mexico, it’s not something you ever encounter or think about in your day-to-day life here. They have their business, and everybody goes about their daily life, and the two don’t intersect until they do.”