MEXICO CITY — Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the longtime leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) known as “El Mencho,” was reportedly killed Sunday, February 22, 2026, during a targeted Mexican military operation in the southern part of Jalisco state, according to multiple media outlets.

The 59-year-old Oseguera died from gunshot wounds sustained in a clash with army troops near the rural municipality of Tapalpa, roughly 120 kilometers (75 miles) southwest of Guadalajara. A senior Defense Ministry official confirmed the death to several news organizations, including Reuters, El País and Milenio, stating that Oseguera was fatally wounded during the raid and pronounced dead while being evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in Mexico City. Forensic identification was ongoing as of late Sunday, but authorities expressed high confidence in the identification based on biometric data and intelligence.

The operation unfolded in the early morning hours when special forces units from the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) moved on a suspected high-value target compound in a mountainous area known as a CJNG stronghold. Government sources described the raid as intelligence-driven, aimed at capturing Oseguera, who had evaded authorities for more than a decade. When troops made contact, a firefight erupted. Oseguera was struck multiple times and succumbed to his injuries during medical evacuation. Several of his bodyguards and associates were also killed or wounded in the exchange.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration has not yet issued an official public statement, but the Defense Ministry is expected to provide details in a formal briefing. Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro of Jalisco posted on social media Sunday afternoon urging residents in southern Jalisco to remain indoors due to “ongoing security operations,” a sign of the scale of the military deployment.

The killing triggered immediate retaliatory violence. Suspected CJNG members set up dozens of roadblocks using burning vehicles in Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Colima and parts of Michoacán. Airports in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta reported disruptions, with armed groups blocking access roads. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico issued a shelter-in-place alert for American citizens in Jalisco and neighboring states, warning of potential reprisals and urging caution.

Oseguera had been one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, with the U.S. State Department offering a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction — one of the highest bounties ever placed on a drug trafficker. Mexico offered 300 million pesos (approximately $15 million). He faced U.S. indictments for drug trafficking, money laundering and murder conspiracy, accused of overseeing the CJNG’s role in flooding the United States with fentanyl and methamphetamine.

The CJNG, which Oseguera co-founded in 2010 after splintering from the Milenio Cartel, grew into Mexico’s most powerful criminal organization through extreme violence, corruption and control of key Pacific ports such as Manzanillo. Under his leadership, the cartel pioneered large-scale fentanyl production using Chinese precursor chemicals and employed public executions, vehicle bombings and attacks on security forces to assert dominance.

His death represents the most significant cartel-leader takedown since Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s recapture in 2016. However, experts caution that the CJNG’s decentralized structure and deep infiltration of local governments mean the organization is unlikely to collapse. Potential successors — including family members and top lieutenants — could trigger internal power struggles, potentially escalating violence in Jalisco, Michoacán, Guanajuato and Colima.

The operation aligns with President Sheinbaum’s strategy of intelligence-led, precision strikes rather than large-scale confrontations. It also comes amid intense U.S. pressure to curb fentanyl flows, including threats of military action inside Mexico and the designation of several cartels as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration.

Oseguera’s low-profile lifestyle — rarely photographed, communicating through encrypted channels and moving between remote mountain hideouts — made him exceptionally difficult to locate. His nickname “Mencho” originated from “menchito” (little mango), a childhood moniker. He reportedly maintained a tight circle of loyal sicarios and relied on corruption to protect his movements.

If the government’s account holds, the raid succeeded where years of manhunts failed. The immediate aftermath — widespread roadblocks, airport chaos and shelter advisories — underscores the CJNG’s capacity for rapid, coordinated retaliation.

Security analysts expect heightened violence in western Mexico in the coming days as factions position for control. The killing of El Mencho marks a pivotal moment in Mexico’s long struggle against drug cartels — a major symbolic and operational victory that may disrupt supply chains but is unlikely to end the underlying criminal ecosystem.