Mexico's most wanted man, killed by the military. How the United States contributed to the operation that targeted “El Mencho”, the leader of a feared cartel
El Mencho was killed in an operation by the Mexican army in Tapalpa on Sunday, February 22, 2026. Credit: STRINGER / AFP / Profimedia
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho”, the leader of the Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel, was killed in a military operation at dawn on Sunday in Talipa, in the Mexican state of Jalisco, according to the BBC and Reuters.
The Mexican embassy in Washington said the United States provided information for the operation.
“In addition to central military intelligence efforts, US authorities have provided complementary intelligence as part of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the United States,” the embassy said in a post on X.
The Mexican defense ministry said several members of the Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel (CJNG) were killed in the operation. El Mencho was seriously injured and died while being airlifted to Mexico City.
From a cartel in Jalisco, the CJNG spread to a near-national presence in Mexico.
Several armored vehicles and weapons, including rocket launchers, were seized during the operation, the Mexican Defense Ministry said.
Three members of the military were injured and taken to a hospital in Mexico City for medical treatment.
Unconfirmed reports of cars on fire and armed men on the streets of Jalisco had emerged on Sunday. The US State Department had issued a stay-at-home warning for US citizens in the states of Jalisco, Tamaulipas, as well as areas in the states of Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon.
Christopher Landau, former US ambassador to Mexico and former assistant secretary of state, wrote a social media post describing El Mencho's death as “a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America and the world.”
The US had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to El Mencho's capture.
