Mexican army kills leader of Jalisco New Generation Cartel, official says

South China Morning Post · Feb 22, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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The Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho”, in an operation on Sunday, a federal official said.The official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, said it happened during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.It followed several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles in Jalisco and other states. Such tactics are commonly used by the cartels to block military operations.Videos circulating on social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over the city of Puerto Vallarta, a major city in Jalisco, and people sprinting through the airport of the state’s capital in panic.The US State Department had offered a reward of up to US$15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The former police officer had led the cartel, which he founded, since 2011.Christopher Landau, US deputy secretary of state, said on Sunday the killing of “El Mencho” is a “great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America and the world”.