Mexican army kills El Mencho as CJNG retaliates across Jalisco

NRNemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, was killed during a Mexican military capture operation in Talpalpa, Jalisco on Feb. 22, 2026. Three other cartel members were killed in the operation, three were wounded, and two were arrested. Mexican authorities attempted to capture him alive; he was killed during the confrontation.

El Mencho founded the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG, in 2010. By 2026, CJNG had a presence in at least 21 of Mexico's 32 states and operated distribution networks throughout the United States. The cartel was the primary supplier of fentanyl and methamphetamine in several U.S. regions and had annual revenues estimated in the billions.

The U.S. government offered a $15 million reward for information leading to El Mencho's arrest or location. The White House confirmed U.S. intelligence agencies provided support to the Mexican military for the operation. DEA Administrator TCTerrance Cole stated the administration had been targeting CJNG as a terrorist organization at every level since February 2025.

Within hours of El Mencho's death, CJNG members retaliated across Mexico. Mexico's security agency reported 252 blockades throughout the country by Sunday night, with 23 still uncleared at 8 p.m. local time. Jalisco Governor PLPablo Lemus Navarro activated a Code Red emergency protocol and suspended all public transportation in the state.

Southwest Airlines, 🐻Alaska Airlines, and Delta Air Lines all canceled flights to and from Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara on Feb. 22. The State Department issued a warning to U.S. citizens in the area to shelter in place. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City advised Americans to avoid non-essential travel in Jalisco state.

Mexican President CSClaudia Sheinbaum had publicly criticized the kingpin strategy used by previous administrations — the approach of targeting cartel leaders — arguing it historically triggered explosions of violence as cartels fractured and successor disputes played out. She was under significant pressure from the Trump administration to show results on drug trafficking after Trump took office in January 2025.

The killing of El Mencho is the highest-profile blow against a Mexican cartel since the recapture of Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín Guzmán, known as El Chapo, a decade ago. It was not immediately clear who would succeed El Mencho or whether any single person could fill his role. CJNG has a decentralized regional leadership structure, which could allow multiple factions to claim succession.

In the year before his death, the Trump administration had systematically dismantled CJNG's leadership pipeline. In February 2025, the DOJ secured the extradition of 29 high-ranking cartel leaders from Mexico, including El Mencho's brother Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as Tony 🦌Montana. In March 2025, El Mencho's son RORuben Oseguera-Gonzalez was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years and ordered to forfeit $6 billion in drug proceeds.