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The assassination of a longtime fugitive, Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, the unknown and brutal head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), estimated to be the most impressive drug trafficking organization in recent times, plunged Mexico into one of its most extreme spurts of cartel violence in recent years.

He was tracked through the visiting of a romantic partner and on February 22, 2026, Mexican special forces with US intelligence assistance raided a hideout in Tapalpa, Jalisco. El Mencho was severely injured during a violent gunfight that killed six of his guards; he was taken to his death in one of the helicopters on his way to Mexico City. Crime officials cheered it as a significant victory against organized crime.

The revenge was exhibitionary and ferocious. CJNG loyalists also went on a rampage, attacking at least 20 states, burning more than 85 vehicles (buses and cars), setting roadblocks, burning businesses, and ambushing security personnel. The operation and resultant deaths (at least 73) included 25 National Guard members in six separate attacks, suspected cartel members, an agent of the state prosecutor, and a prison guard. At least dozens of people were arrested in the mayhem.

Regions were put on hold by violence; schools were closed, transportation frozen, and the US visitors were trapped in the hotspots such as Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, with foreign governments asking people to stay in their homes. The helicopters of the military were flying all over the streets, and the troops collided with the gunmen.

Analysts assert that this could ignite a bloody power struggle either among CJNG members themselves or between competing factions, possibly pushing the already incredible rates of homicide in Mexico. The assassination, which appears as a win in US-Mexico bilateral efforts, has destabilized the cartel structures and brought to light the threat of more complex violence in the fentanyl-driven drug war by the deployment of thousands of soldiers by President Claudia Sheinbaum to restore order. With corpses stacking up and fire illuminating the dark, Mexico is preparing the new step in this lethal power vacuum.