Mexico burns as Cartel Boss 'El Mencho' killed by military

Mexico City: 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.

Oseguera, 59, the mastermind of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) died in custody after being injured in a military operation by Mexican special forces in the town of Tapalpa in Mexico's Jalisco state, according to Mexico's defence ministry. His corpse arrived in Mexico City on Sunday afternoon.


After reports of El Mencho's death, cartel henchmen blockaded highways with burning cars and torched businesses in more than a half a dozen states, paralysing parts of the country. In Jalisco's popular beach resort of Puerto Vallarta, frightened tourists on social media described a "war zone" as plumes of dark smoke rose into the sky from around the bay. Air Canada, United Airlines, Aeromexico and American Airlines suspended flights in the area. The violence stranded travellers in the country. The US state department told American citizens in five Mexican states to "shelter in place."

The operation and the violence that followed left at least 62 people dead, the Mexican authorities said on Monday.

Several Mexican states cancelled school on Monday, with local and foreign govts warning their citizens to stay inside after widespread violence erupted. President Claudia Sheinbaum urged calm on Monday, and authorities said all of the more than 250 cartel roadblocks across 20 states had been cleared.

Mexico's defence secretary, General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, said the authorities obtained information about Oseguera's location from one of his romantic partners, and that US authorities provided "a lot of additional information" that helped them pinpoint the site that was raided on Sunday.

Oseguera was captured in Tapalpa, a town in the western coastal state of Jalisco, on Sunday, two days after learning that a man close to one of his romantic partners was there, Trejo said. The man took her to see Oseguera, the general said, and when she left a house there on Saturday, the authorities stopped her and obtained information that he was inside. Oseguera and his personal security team tried to flee when surrounded by special forces, the general said. Oseguera's security team struck a military helicopter with a rocket launcher, and when the military returned fire, Trejo said, Oseguera was wounded.