Mexico kills Jalisco cartel boss El Mencho after tracing partner to safe house
Feb 24th 2026
Mexican forces located Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes near Tapalpa, engaged in a firefight that left him dead and sparked widespread cartel reprisals across western Mexico, officials said.
- Defence secretary Ricardo Trevilla Trejo said authorities tracked El Mencho to a cabin near Tapalpa by following a romantic partner.
- El Mencho was wounded during the raid, captured, and died while being transferred for medical treatment in Mexico City.
- Seven of his gunmen died in the operation and weapons including rifles and grenade launchers were seized, while two soldiers were initially reported wounded in the raid.
- Security minister Omar García Harfuch said 25 national guard members and 14 wounded, 34 gunmen and one civilian were killed in the nationwide clashes that followed, and about 70 people were arrested.
- Hugo César Macías Ureña alias El Tuli, a close ally who coordinated the post-raid violence, was also reported killed.
- The US provided intelligence support and had offered a $15 million reward, and analysts warn El Mencho’s death could create a CJNG power vacuum that risks further violence.