Violence erupts in Mexico: Who is El Mencho? Why was he wanted in the US?

Violent scenes erupted across various regions in Mexico after the government confirmed the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as ‘El Mencho’.

Oseguera Cervantes was the founder and leader of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación, a Mexican criminal syndicate based in Jalisco that the US Drug Enforcement Agency called one of the “most powerful and ruthless criminal organisations” inside Mexico.

He was killed in a military operation in the city of Tapalpa.

The Mexican defence ministry also confirmed that several armoured vehicles and weapons were seized during the operation which saw other members of the cartel killed.

A wanted man in the US, ‘El Mencho’ had previously had a $15m bounty on him for any information leading to his capture. The US Justice Department previously charged El Mencho back in 2022 for manufacturing and distributing fentanyl for importation into the country.

Former US ambassador to Mexico and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on social media that his death was “a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world”.

The military operation triggered a series of violent events across the state of Jalisco, with various public events being cancelled as a result.

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CNN report that “suspected members of organized crime groups set buses on fire, blocked roads in the area," with the violence spreading to “at least five states” across the country.

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