Results of the military operation to arrest Nemesio Oseguera, "El Mencho," Leader of the CJNG

MEXICO - In Brief 24 Feb 2026 by Guillermo Valdés

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Initial notes on its implications On Sunday, February 22, Mexican armed forces carried out an operation to apprehend Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)—Mexico’s most powerful and far-reaching criminal organization, heavily engaged in drug trafficking and numerous other illicit markets. During the operation, Oseguera was killed along with two other members of his organization, and five additional individuals linked to the cartel were arrested. The cartel responded with intense and widespread violence that affected 20 of the country’s 32 states. The reaction included over 250 blockades of avenues, highways, and freeways, as well as the arson of stolen vehicles and buses, robberies, shootouts, and ambushes directed against members of the armed forces and police. Official figures report more than 80 deaths, including at least 25 members of the National Guard. The next Political Outlook will examine the political, security, and U.S.–Mexico bilateral implications of this major development. The following are some preliminary observations: The wave of violence that followed the military operation has now been brought under control across virtually the entire country. Although highway blockades, vehicle arsons, and sporadic clashes with police forces continue in certain areas of Jalisco, educational, banking, and commercial activities—suspended in several states on Monday—resumed today. Security alerts remain in place in some rural and urban zones, but military deployments have stabilized the most conflictive areas. In general, the death or capture of a high-profile criminal leader, as occurred in this case, ten...