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Mexican authorities have neutralized the chief of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, delivering the nation’s most significant setback against criminal organizations in a decade, amidst intensified US demands for Mexico to combat drug kingpins.
Nemesio Oseguera, identified as El Mencho, perished on Sunday during a raid in Jalisco state spearheaded by security minister Omar García Harfuch, as verified by a government official.
Oseguera, aged 59, transformed the CJNG into one of Mexico’s two most dominant criminal syndicates, alongside the Sinaloa Cartel, broadening its influence across the majority of the nation and playing a principal part in the illicit drug trade, including fentanyl, to the US.
His passing follows substantial urging from US President Donald Trump for Mexico to suppress cartel leaders. Trump has employed the nations’ vital trade connections as influence and even proposed potential US involvement on Mexican territory.
President Claudia Sheinbaum has significantly escalated measures targeting the cartels, discontinuing the so-called “hugs not bullets” policy instated by her forerunner, which analysts attribute to facilitating the proliferation of criminal organizations.
“This represents one of the most significant accomplishments in the government’s campaign against criminal syndicates over the past two decades,” stated Armando Vargas, head of the security initiative at the Mexico Evalua policy institute.
“The moment is opportune, conveying a strong signal to the US regarding the government’s dedication to undermining criminal networks,” he further noted, prior to an assessment of the USMCA trade agreement involving the US, Mexico, and Canada.
CJNG members instigated a surge of forcible blockades and vehicle arsons across Jalisco state subsequent to reports of Oseguera’s death.
Mexican security analysts likened these incidents to the violence that followed the 2024 apprehension of Sinaloa cartel chieftain Ismael “el Mayo” Zambada, which subsequently escalated into a full-scale territorial conflict in Sinaloa state among rival segments of the group.
Oseguera constituted a primary objective of the US Drugs Enforcement Administration, which provided $15mn for his apprehension. Experts noted that his demise represents the most significant action taken against a cartel leader since the detainment of Joaquín “el Chapo” Guzmán in 2014.
The CJNG is additionally significantly involved in petroleum pilferage, weapon smuggling, and blackmail.
Whether the violence in Jalisco intensifies will hinge upon “what leadership transitions are established and to what extent they are respected or ignored,” stated Vanda Felbab-Brown, director of Brookings’ program focusing on unofficial armed entities.
“We might witness violence pervading throughout Mexico, possibly extending even further,” she further remarked.
“Alternatively, if the new leader is promptly declared and everyone pledges allegiance, then the scope of the unrest and its effect on the illicit environment could be more contained.”