Mexican Military Takes Down Top Cartel Leader, Violence Erupts Across Nation

Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 6:30 PM

Mexican armed forces eliminated Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as 'El Mencho,' who led the country's most dominant criminal organization. The killing of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel chief triggered widespread unrest with vehicle fires reported in multiple states.

Mexican military forces eliminated the head of the nation’s most dominant criminal organization on Sunday, taking down Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, widely known by his alias ‘El Mencho.’ His death marks the end of leadership for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which had risen to become the country’s most influential drug trafficking network.

The operation’s aftermath sparked widespread disorder across multiple Mexican states, with reports of automobiles set ablaze in various locations. Military personnel took defensive positions around the General Prosecutor’s offices in the nation’s capital as authorities braced for potential retaliation from cartel members.

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