Mexico’s most wanted drug lord is dead after a dramatic special forces raid in Jalisco. But as retaliation paralysed highways, airports and cities within hours, El Mencho’s fall raised a harder question: does removing a kingpin weaken the cartel — or unleash a more violent phase?
On February 22, the quiet mountain town of Tapalpa in Jalisco became the epicentre of one of the most consequential security operations in recent Mexican history.
Mexican special forces — backed by the Air Force — moved in on a secluded location believed to be sheltering Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, or ‘El Mencho’ the elusive leader of the Jalisco New Generation Carte.
Mexican special forces — backed by the Air Force — moved in on a secluded location believed to be sheltering Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, or ‘El Mencho’ the elusive leader of the Jalisco New Generation Carte.