Cartel leader’s partner helped capture 1 “El Mencho” who was found in hiding, officials say

the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel known as “El Mencho, “The surveillance of the romantic partner helped put Mexican forces on the trail of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes,  he was captured and killed Sunday, Mexican authorities said Monday.

Mexico’s Defense Secretary, General Ricardo Trevilla, said Sunday’s operation by Mexican special forces, which included American intelligence, ended when the special forces found Oseguera Cervantes “hiding in the grass” in his hometown of Jalisco. After several exchanges of fire, eight gunmen were killed and a drug warden and two of his bodyguards were injured. They were arrested and died on the way to Mexico City, said Trevilla.

In total, more than 70 people died in the operation and the violence that followed. including the security forcessuspected cartel members and others.

The source elaborated on the project he told CBS News this raid was the culmination of a strong US-Mexico counter-cartel partnership under Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Intelligence sharing has grown significantly in recent months through joint joint channels with the US Northern Command.

Here’s how the capture of the world’s most powerful cartel leader and the United States’ one the most wanted refugees It was revealed, according to Mexican authorities:

Following a partner (El Mencho)

Both Mexico and the United States had spent years tracking “El Mencho,” who faced numerous arrest warrants for organized crime and drug trafficking in both countries. He had a $15 million bounty on his head and was “the number one thing for the DEA and frankly for law enforcement in the United States,” a top DEA agent in Mexico told CBS News in 2019.

However, this time, the intelligence efforts were successful. Trevilla noted that military investigators had identified and began following a trusted partner of one of Oseguera Cervantes’ romantic partners. This person accompanied the woman to Tapalpa, Jalisco, on Friday for a meeting with a drug dealer. The military official explained that the exact location was confirmed by “additional information of great importance” provided by American intelligence.

Blockage of earth and air

When the woman left after spending the night with “El Mencho,” the special forces finalized their plans, having confirmed that she was staying in a security detail.

Units from the Mexican army and the National Guard established a ground cordon, while six helicopters and other special forces were stationed in the states bordering Jalisco.

The Mexican Air Force provided additional support with reconnaissance and aircraft, Trevilla said. In the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, after his presence was confirmed, the operation began. Throughout the mission, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was informed of all developments while on a trip to northern Mexico.

Violent response

General. Trevilla described the response of the criminals as extremely violent.

During the conflict, he said “El Mencho” tried to escape with two guards while the heavily armed group remained to stop the soldiers. The number of dead at the scene has reached eight, Trevila noted that it is four more than was initially reported on Sunday.

Among the seized weapons were two rocket launchers, including one similar to the model used by the CJNG in 2015 to bring down a military helicopter. That 2015 attack served as a painful milestone, proving that the cartel was ready to meet Mexican authorities with deadly, full force.

“Hiding in the basement”

Oseguera Cervantes tried to hide in a wooded area with cabins on the outskirts of Tapalpa. Although the insurgents were heavily armed with rocket launchers, Trevilla noted that they were unable to use them. The special forces finally “found him hiding in the basement,” which started a massive confrontation that left “El Mencho” and two of his bodyguards injured.

During the unrest, a military helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing after being shot at, and two people were arrested at the scene. In this meeting, three soldiers were injured.

He died on the way

Once the scene was secured, the cartel leader and his bodyguards were loaded into a helicopter to be taken to a nearby hospital. However, Trevilla confirmed that they died on the way, noting that they were in a “critical condition”.

After their deaths, the flight schedule was reoriented. Instead of staying in the state capital of Jalisco, the bodies were taken to Mexico City to avoid any violent retaliation from the gang.

Despite losing its founder, the company is expected to maintain a high operating volume, a source familiar with the operation told CBS News.

However, a succession struggle inside the chariot has begun, with regional commanders fighting for power and control. In the past, the removal of cartel leaders in Mexico has often led to the disintegration of their organizations and secondary violence, rather than their collapse. Early indications are that this pattern is repeating itself, with reprisal attacks and destabilization efforts in all 20 Mexican states.

$1,000 for every soldier killed

About 62 miles west of Tapalpa, a logistics and finance company known only as “El Tuli” reportedly offered the gunmen a bounty of 20,000 pesos – more than $1,000 – for every soldier killed, Trevilla said.

The defense minister also said “El Tuli” – suspected of being Oseguera’s right-hand man – was the mastermind behind a series of roadblocks, arson attacks and government strikes on government installations throughout Jalisco state.

Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said the worst violence occurred in Jalisco, where 25 National Guard membersa prison officer, an employee of the prosecutor’s office and a woman believed to be a stranger, were killed along with 30 other suspected criminals.

In neighboring Michoacán, four gunmen were killed and 15 security guards were wounded.

A group of soldiers tracking down “El Tuli” killed him in a shootout, took long and short guns and $1.4 million in mixed US and Mexican currency. Nevertheless, reprisals from the cart continued in several Mexican states.