Mexico latest: US tourists stranded and told to ‘seek shelter’ after cartel drug lord El Mencho killed by military

Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, 59, was reportedly a former police officer, who switched sides to run the vast criminal drug trafficking operation.

Formed in 2009, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, rapidly became one of Mexico’s most violent drug cartels. It is believed to possess the highest capacity for trafficking cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, and more recently, fentanyl into the United States.

Under El Mencho’s leadership, the cartel was implicated in numerous homicides targeting rival groups and Mexican law enforcement, as well as alleged assassination attempts on Mexican government officials.

The Trump administration previously designated CJNG as a foreign terrorist organisation.

Since 2017, El Mencho has faced multiple indictments in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, with the most recent superseding indictment on April 5 2022, charging him with conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances for unlawful importation into the U.S., and firearm use in drug trafficking.

He was also charged under the Drug Kingpin Statute for operating a continuing criminal enterprise.

If you’re just joining us, here’s our report on the killing of Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as “El Mencho.”

The leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was shot dead during a Mexican military operation Sunday, a federal official has confirmed, sparking a wave of retaliatory violence in the western Mexican state of Jalisco.

El Mencho was a highly sought-after figure, with the U.S. State Department previously offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest.

A member of Oseguera’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel has told Reuters that the blazes and sporadic gunfire in Mexico were carried out in revenge for his killing, and warned of further bloodshed as groups move to take control of his cartel.

The attacks were carried out in revenge for the leader’s death, at first against the government and out of discontent,” the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“But later the internal killings are coming, by the groups moving in to take over.”

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage.

One of Mexico’s most notorious drug lords, Nemesio Oseguera, or “El Mencho,” was killed in a military raid on Sunday, sparking widespread retaliatory violence.

His corpse arrived in Mexico City on Sunday afternoon in a heavily guarded convoy of National Guard troops.