Mexico Kills ‘El Mencho,’ Head of the Jalisco Cartel

On February 22, 2026, the Mexican military killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes (“El Mencho”), the founder and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The operation, aided by U.S. intelligence, triggered more than 250 roadblocks across 20 Mexican states, the deaths of 25 National Guard members in retaliatory attacks, and the shutdown of Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city. CJNG operates in almost all 50 U.S. states and is a primary source of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine.