Mexique: le chef d'un des principaux cartels, Nemesio Oseguera, alias El Mencho, tué par l'armée
The powerful drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, alias El Mencho, head of the Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) cartel, was killed Sunday during a military operation, the Mexican army announced.
Killed at the age of 59, "El Mencho" was considered the last of the major drug lords since the arrest of Sinaloa cartel founders Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán and Ismael "Mayo" Zambada, who are imprisoned in the United States. Nemesio Oseguera was one of the most wanted drug kingpins in Mexico and the United States, which offered up to $15 million for his capture.
"El Mencho" was wounded during an operation in the town of Tapalpa, in the state of Jalisco (west), and died "during his transfer by air to Mexico City," the army detailed in a statement.
The army added that, in order to carry out this operation, "in addition to the work of central military intelligence services", "additional information" had been obtained from the American authorities.
In total, seven criminals were killed and three soldiers wounded. Two members of the CJNG were arrested and various weapons were seized, including rocket launchers capable of shooting down aircraft and destroying armored vehicles, according to the same source.
- "a great victory" -
The United States welcomed the operation. "I learned that Mexican security forces killed 'El Mencho,' one of the most bloodthirsty drug traffickers," said Christopher Landau, U.S. Under Secretary of State, on the X Network.
"This is a great victory for Mexico, the United States, Latin America, and the entire world," he added. "There are more good people than bad people. Congratulations to the Mexican law enforcement agencies."
The CJNG, which Oseguera had formed in 2009, was designated a terrorist organization in 2025 by the United States, which accuses it of trafficking cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Earlier on Sunday, armed men had blocked several roads in the state of Jalisco with burning cars and trucks, in response to an operation by federal forces in the region.
These actions are generally used to hinder the operations of authorities when they target a high-value drug trafficking target.
The blockades have also spread to the neighbouring state of Michoacán, where Oseguera's group is present.
Local authorities have advised the population not to leave their homes.
The CJNG is one of the most violent cartels in Mexico, according to the State Department, which describes it as a "transnational cartel, present in almost all of Mexico," that engages in extortion, migrant smuggling, oil and mineral theft, and arms trafficking.
Interviewed by AFP, José Reveles, a writer specializing in drug trafficking, described "El Mencho" as a man with a "violent nature", who was not afraid to confront the authorities head-on, when other cartels are more on the defensive.
Thus, on June 20, 2020, he launched an unprecedented attack against the current Federal Secretary of Public Security, Omar García Harfuch, then head of the capital's police force, who was injured. Three people died, including two bodyguards.
For a long time, "El Mencho" was unable to compete with the cartels that controlled the border with the United States. He then turned to other markets. "Europe, Asia, Africa, and even Australia were less contested by the Mexicans, and drugs fetch a higher price there," explains Mr. Reveles.
Oseguera "was very careful not to expose himself publicly, we know little about his life," observes Mr. Reveles.
On the State Department's wanted poster, he appears with an angular face, impeccably combed hair and a thin mustache, while on a 1989 US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) card, he is seen with curly hair and coarser features.
Cartel-related violence has left more than 450,000 dead and more than 100,000 missing since 2006 in Mexico, according to official figures.
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