Mexican officials say a visit by a romantic partner of cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” helped security forces pinpoint his hideout, setting off a raid that ended with the fugitive leader dead and a wave of retaliatory attacks that killed 25 National Guard military police officers.
Tip Leads To Next-Day Tapalpa Raid
According to a Reuters report on Monday, Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said authorities moved quickly after receiving information from a confidante of one of Oseguera’s romantic partners, allowing planners to launch an operation the next day at his compound near Tapalpa, in the western state of Jalisco.
Trevilla said gunmen opened fire as special forces moved in, and the confrontation shifted to a cabin complex in a wooded area where Oseguera and two bodyguards were wounded. The three were flown by helicopter toward Mexico City but did not survive. “Unfortunately, they died on the way,” Trevilla told reporters at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s daily news conference.
US Reward, Cartel Leader’s Final Hours
Oseguera, whom Mexican authorities described as the mastermind of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, had been Mexico’s most-wanted cartel leader. The United States had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Retaliation Erupts As Mexico Cites Intelligence
His death triggered violence across multiple states as cartel loyalists blocked roads and burned vehicles, officials said. Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said 30 suspected cartel members and one bystander were killed in the reprisals, with at least 70 arrests in seven states. The government said no foreigners were reported harmed.
Officials said US intelligence helped confirm the exact location, but Sheinbaum stressed the raid was Mexican-led. “There was no participation in this operation of US forces. What there was, was an exchange of information,” she said.
Meanwhile, reacting to the capture and death of “El Mencho,” President Donald Trump urged Mexico to intensify its crackdown, writing on social media, “Mexico must step up their effort on Cartels and Drugs!”
Image via Shutterstock/ Nikola Fific
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