Nemesio Oseguera, known worldwide as El Menchowas shot down during a military operation carried out this Sunday, February 22, according to Reuters. The death of one of Mexico’s most wanted drug barons was confirmed by two government sources familiar with the operation, at a time when the Mexican government intensifies pressure on local cartels, following threats of intervention from the United States.
Oseguera, a former police officer, was the shadowy leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The criminal organization took its name from the State of Jalisco, in the west of the country, where Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico, is located.
Under the command of El Menchothe CJNG transformed, in a short space of time, into a criminal enterprise with branches on several continents, rivaling the former allies of the Sinaloa Cartel — the captured Joaquin’s gang El Chapo Guzman, currently serving time in a US prison.
Threat of direct US intervention
The military operation that resulted in Oseguera’s death follows a pressure campaign by the Trump administration on the government of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Washington has demanded a more severe repression against drug trafficking, even threatening direct intervention in Mexican territory.
“The operation to arrest him was led by the Ministry of Defense and he ended up being killed,” said one of the sources cited. So far, Mexico’s Ministry of Security and the White House have not issued immediate official comments on the outcome of the mission.
Chaos in the Streets and “Code Red”
The news of Oseguera’s death followed a Federal Security operation in the city of Tapalpa, in Jalisco. The state governor, Pablo Lemus Navarro, took to social media to urge residents to stay at home until the situation was under control.
“We remain in Code Red. We reiterate the recommendation to avoid leaving home. Clashes are occurring in several federal entities,” Navarro wrote in a later post.
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