The Mexican government provided detailed information about the operation on Sunday that led to the capture of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” the leader of one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations. The story reads like a script from a Hollywood movie.
Special forces in Mexico tracked down El Mencho by following his lover to his hideout. Subsequently, a combination of air and ground operations was launched, resulting in two gunfights that left the drug lord fatally injured. El Mencho passed away on a military helicopter while en route to receive medical treatment.
During President Claudia Sheinbaum’s news conference on Monday, Gen. Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, the secretary of national defense, revealed these details to the public.
However, one crucial aspect of the story remained unclear — the reason behind the Mexican government’s decision to target the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a prominent criminal group in Mexico, at this particular moment.
The operation carries significant risks as Mexico gears up to co-host the upcoming World Cup of soccer in just over four months.
Following the death of the influential cartel leader El Mencho, Mexico is experiencing a return to calm, but travel advisories persist, and Canadians are awaiting the resumption of flights. The president of Mexico revealed that the operation, resulting in about 30 cartel members and 25 troops losing their lives, was initiated after tracking a romantic partner of the drug kingpin.
According to experts in Mexico, the decision to strike was influenced by various factors, including seizing an opportunity and the pressure from the U.S. government on the Sheinbaum administration, which provided intelligence crucial to the operation.
El Mencho was the last major drug lord at large and led an organization that is a significant supplier of fentanyl to the U.S., as stated by José Reveles, an experienced Mexican journalist and investigator of organized crime.
Reveles mentioned that El Mencho was in poor health, requiring regular dialysis treatment from a personal mobile clinic.
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Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes: Jalisco cartel leader’s life comes to violent end after 4 decades of crime
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