Mexican Army Takes Down ‘El Mencho’, CJNG Leader, with U.S. Intelligence Support: 252 Narcoblockades in 20 States, Code Red Activated and Road Closures
Foto: Joana Campos
In a precision operation carried out this Sunday, February 22, in Tapalpa, Jalisco, the Special Forces of the Mexican Army took down Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias ‘El Mencho’, founder and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), considered one of the most wanted and violent drug traffickers in the world.
The Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) confirmed in its official statement that, after a confrontation, four hitmen died at the scene and three more –including ‘El Mencho’– during his aerial transfer to Mexico City; in addition, rocket launchers and armored vehicles were seized.
The operation had complementary intelligence from U.S. authorities, within the framework of bilateral cooperation, as explicitly detailed by Sedena and confirmed by the White House spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt.
“El Mencho was one of the priority targets for the Government of Mexico and the U.S. as one of the largest fentanyl traffickers to our country,” the official pointed out. This support marks a key advance in the fight against narco-terrorism that afflicts both countries.
The CJNG’s response was immediate and brutal: 252 road blockades with burned vehicles were recorded in at least 20 states, concentrated in Jalisco, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Colima, Nayarit, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Guerrero.
CAPUFE reported closures of toll plazas on key sections in Puebla, Guerrero, Tamaulipas and Nayarit. Viral videos show cars in flames blocking highways and accesses to Guadalajara.
In Jalisco, Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro immediately activated the Code Red (maximum alert) and suspended classes, public transportation and mass activities. “Avoid leaving your homes,” he urged, while federal and state forces deployed operations to clear roadways.
In other states such as Michoacán and Guanajuato, preventive alerts were also issued for possible reprisals.
At the close of Sunday at 8:00 p.m., 90% of the blockades had been deactivated; only 23 remained active and four partial closures. President Claudia Sheinbaum reported this morning that “Mexico wakes up without blockades” and that “practically all activity has resumed,” with coordination tables active in 19 affected states.
As we had previously reported in Gateway Hispanic about the overflights of U.S. aircraft in Jalisco searching for ‘El Mencho’, this joint operation confirms the effectiveness of binational intelligence against the cartel that has flooded the U.S. with fentanyl and sown terror in Mexico.
This blow decapitates the most powerful cartel and sends a forceful message: Mexican institutions, with allied support, act with determination. Law enforcement prevailed over the narco chaos in less than 24 hours.
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