Mexico Erupts After Cartel Head Killed 02/23 06:31

   School was canceled in several Mexican states and local and foreign 
governments alike warned their citizens to stay inside, as widespread violence 
erupted following the army's killing of the powerful leader of the Jalisco New 
Generation Cartel.

   GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) -- School was canceled in several Mexican states 
and local and foreign governments alike warned their citizens to stay inside, 
as widespread violence erupted following the army's killing of the powerful 
leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

   Nemesio Rubn Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho" was the boss of one 
of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, notorious for trafficking 
fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen 
attacks against government officials who challenged it.

   He was killed during a shoot-out in his home state of Jalisco as the Mexican 
military attempted to capture him. Cartel members responded with violence 
across the country, blocking roads and setting fire to vehicles.

   President Claudia Sheinbaum urged calm and authorities announced late Sunday 
they had cleared most of the more than 250 cartel roadblocks across 20 states. 
The White House confirmed that the U.S. provided intelligence support to the 
operation to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico's army for taking 
down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries.

   Mexico hoped the death of the world's biggest fentanyl traffickers would 
ease Trump administration pressure to do more against the cartels, but many 
remained hunkered down and on edge as they waited to see the powerful cartel's 
reaction.

   Many fear more violence

   Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state and Mexico's second-largest city, 
was almost completely shut down on Sunday as fearful residents stayed home.

   Passengers arriving to the city's international airport Sunday night were 
told it was operating with limited personnel because of the burst of violence.

   Jacinta Murcia, a 64-year-old nutrition products vendor, was among those 
nervously walking late Sunday night through the airport, where earlier in the 
day travelers sprinted and ducked behind chairs fearing violence. Most flights 
into the city were suspended on Sunday.

   Murcia anxiously scrolled through news stories on social media showing the 
face of "El Mencho" and sent messages to her children, who were tracking her 
location as she tried to travel across the city to her house after dark.

   "My plan today leaving the airport is to see if there are any taxis, but I'm 
scared of everything. That there are blockades, that there's a curfew, that 
something could happen," she said. "I'm all alone."

   Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan and Guanajuato reported at least 14 other 
people killed Sunday, including seven National Guard troops.

   Videos circulating on social media showed tourists in Puerto Vallarta 
walking on the beach with smoke rising in the distance.

   In another part of the airport a group of elderly Mexicans gathered, 
discussing how to get home.

   "We better all go together," one said. "Go with God."

   A blow against a cartel could be a diplomatic coup

   David Mora, Mexico analyst for International Crisis Group, said the capture 
and outburst of violence marks a point of inflection in Sheinbaum's push to 
crack down on cartels and relieve U.S. pressures.

   U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded Mexico do more to fight the 
smuggling of the often-deadly drug fentanyl, threatening to impose more tariffs 
or take unilateral military action if the country does not show results.

   There were early signs that Mexico's efforts were well received by the 
United States.

   U.S. Amb. Ron Johnson recognized the success of the Mexican armed forces and 
their sacrifice in a statement late Sunday. He added that "under the leadership 
of President Trump and President Sheinbaum, bilateral cooperation has reached 
unprecedented levels."

   But it may also pave the way for more violence as rival criminal groups take 
advantage of the blow dealt to the CJNG, Mora said.

   "This might be a moment in which those other groups see that the cartel is 
weakened and want to seize the opportunity for them to expand control and to 
gain control over Cartel Jalisco in those states," he said.

   "Ever since President Sheinbaum has been in power, the army has been way 
more confrontational, combative against criminal groups in Mexico," Mora said. 
"This is signaling to the U.S. that if we keep cooperating, sharing 
intelligence, Mexico can do it, we don't need U.S. troops on Mexican soil."

   'El Mencho' was a major target

   Oseguera Cervantes, who was wounded in the operation to capture him Sunday 
in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara, died 
while being flown to Mexico City, the Defense Department said in a statement.

   During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the 
location. Three more people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and 
later died, the statement said.

   White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said via X that the U.S. 
government provided intelligence support for the operation. "'El Mencho' was a 
top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top 
traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland," she wrote. She commended Mexico's 
military for its work.

   The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for 
information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation 
Cartel is one of the most powerful and fastest growing criminal organizations 
in Mexico and began operating around 2009.

   In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a 
foreign terrorist organization.

   Sheinbaum has criticized the "kingpin" strategy of previous administrations 
that took out cartel leaders, only to trigger explosions of violence as cartels 
fractured. While she has remained popular in Mexico, security is a persistent 
concern and since U.S. President Donald Trump took office a year ago, she has 
been under tremendous pressure to show results against drug trafficking.

   The Jalisco cartel has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its 
attacks on the military -- including on helicopters -- and is a pioneer in 
launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out 
a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in 
the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital's police force 
and now federal security secretary.