CJNG Cartel & Jalisco Crisis Update: El Mencho Killed, Jalisco Burns — Everything You Need to Know

One of the most seismic events in the history of Mexican organized crime unfolded Sunday, February 22, 2026. The Mexican Army killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes — "El Mencho" — the 59-year-old founder and supreme leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), in an operation in the mountain town of Tapalpa, Jalisco. What followed was instant, widespread, and terrifying: a cartel retaliation unlike anything Mexico has seen since the takedown of El Chapo.

Who Was El Mencho? The Last of the Old Guard

El Mencho was the last of the old guard — the final mass-trafficking titan standing alongside El Chapo and El Mayo — now fallen, marking the end of an era in Mexican organized crime. The era, typified by fame and big names splashed across books, TV shows, and international arrest warrants, began around 1990, the time in which El Chapo rose to prominence.

Oseguera, a former police officer and avocado farmer, co-founded the CJNG around 2007 and built it into what the FBI considers Mexico's most powerful trafficking organization, responsible for the bulk of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl entering the United States. He cultivated an air of mystery throughout the country, keeping such a low profile that all known photographs of him were decades old.

El Mencho vs. El Chapo — A Comparison

Oseguera, 59, is one of the biggest Mexican drug lords to be taken down since the capture of the founders of the Sinaloa Cartel — Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán and Ismael Zambada — who are now both in U.S. custody.

The Operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco: How It Went Down

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the United States provided intelligence support to the Mexican government for the operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco. "The United States provided intelligence support to the Mexican government in order to assist with an operation in Talpalpa, Jalisco, Mexico, in which Nemesio 'El Mencho' Oseguera Cervantes, an infamous drug lord and leader within the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was eliminated," she posted on X.

CJNG members traded fire with government forces, resulting in four gang members killed at the scene. Oseguera and two others were seriously injured and died as they were being transported via aircraft to Mexico City. Three Mexican military personnel were also injured in the operation. Two more were arrested, and armored vehicles, rocket launchers, and other arms were seized.

The CJNG Retaliation: 252 Blockades, 13 States, Costco Burns

The cartel's response was instant and coordinated across the entire country. Mexico's security agency said Sunday night there were 252 blockades reported throughout the country, and that by 8 p.m., 23 still hadn't been cleared.

Multiple fires were visible near a Costco store in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, during ongoing security operations in the area. One Canadian tourist described being outside the local Costco when she saw several buildings and vehicles on fire in the streets of Puerto Vallarta. "It was like being in a bad nightmare or a movie," said another tourist stranded in the city.

A National Guard member was killed during the operation. Six other members died in Zapopan. A jail guard was killed at a lockup in Puerto Vallarta during a prison riot. An agent from the Jalisco state prosecutor's office was killed in Guadalajara.

Claudia Sheinbaum's Response and Political Stakes

The killing was the Mexican government's biggest prize yet to show the Trump administration its efforts to crack down on the cartels. Sheinbaum had been under tremendous pressure since Trump took office, including threats of direct U.S. military intervention inside Mexico. On Sunday, Sheinbaum applauded Mexican security forces and called for calm, writing: "There is absolute coordination with the governments of all states."

Schools across Jalisco and Nayarit were cancelled Monday, February 23. Public transit remained suspended in affected zones. Mass events were suspended statewide.

What Comes Next: The Power Vacuum After El Mencho

There is no obvious successor to Oseguera. Analysts say Mexico's military needs to move quickly to limit any violence. "Killing or capturing the head of the cartel is not really going to have a major impact. They have to go after the infrastructure, their logistics, the money laundering, their armed wings," said Mike Vigil, former chief of international operations at the DEA.

The situation in Mexico remains highly fluid, with the potential for further power struggles within CJNG factions or from rival groups attempting to exploit the power vacuum. The military operation was carried out with both intelligence from the U.S. and confirmed participation of U.S. ground forces. With Jalisco still under Code Red and the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to use Guadalajara as a host city in June, Mexico faces one of its most consequential security tests in a generation.