Jalisco: Mexican Army kills 'El Mencho' in Tapalpa operation
The Mexican Army killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho, " this Sunday following an operation at dawn in Tapalpa, in the state of jalisco. The operation and the leader's death touched off widespread blockades and attacks in multiple states and prompted official security updates.
Operation and immediate outcome
The Secretaría de Defensa Nacional de México said the operation took place at dawn in the municipality of Tapalpa, in the state of Jalisco. Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho", 59 years old, was gravely injured during the operation and died while being transferred to Ciudad de México. The statement said several members of the cartel died during the engagement.
Seizures and weaponry recovered
In a communiqué, the Secretaría de Defensa Nacional de México indicated that forces seized several armored vehicles and weapons, including lanzacohetes with the capacity to derribar aeronaves. The same release added that six other members of the cartel died in the operation and that three military personnel who were injured were trasladados a un hospital de la Ciudad de México para recibir atención de emergencia.
Scale of the CJNG under his leadership
Under the leadership of "El Mencho, " the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación expanded from its base of power in Jalisco to a presence practically across Mexico, and became one of the country's most powerful and violent criminal organizations.
Violence and blockades across Jalisco
The death of the CJNG leader unleashed a wave of blockades and attacks on commerce in Jalisco and in several other states where the cartel has a presence. The response included vehicles set alight and used to block roads in Jalisco, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Guerrero and Puebla in the center of the country, as well as Baja California and Tamaulipas in the north.
Numbers and disruptions recorded
An official communiqué registered 252 blockades of roads and streets in 20 states; it stated that 90% of those blockades had been deactivated by 20: 00 hora local (02: 00 GMT del lunes). In several cities there were ataques a comercios, like pharmacies and tiendas, described as a known tactic of criminal groups against local and federal authorities.
Authorities' statements and public reaction
The governor of Jalisco, Pablo Lemus, confirmed the operativo derivó en "enfrentamientos en la zona" and said that, as a reaction, "en distintos puntos de Jalisco individuos han quemado y atravesado vehículos para inhibir la acción de las autoridades". Lemus recommended avoiding going out to the streets if not necessary.
National leadership and security alerts
President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on the social network X that "existe absoluta coordinación con gobiernos de todos los estados" and urged citizens that "Debemos mantenernos informados y en calma". She added: "En la mayor parte del territorio nacional se desarrollan actividades con plena normalidad". A separate security notice carried the headline "Alerta de seguridad – Actualización: Operaciones de seguridad en curso – Misión Diplomática de los Estados Unidos en México (22 de febrero de 2026)".
Images, witnesses and touristic impact
Despite official reassurances, people from several points of the country posted images on social platforms showing burned vehicles and damaged stores. The images displayed columnas de humo in Guadalajara, one of the host cities of the next World Cup that will begin in less than four months. Other witnesses reported seeing armed men in the streets of Jalisco and other places, and the situation generated fear and uncertainty among local residents and foreign tourists in cities such as Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara.
Fuente de la imagen, Departamento de Estado de EE. UU.
El operativo, the ensuing casualties, the seizures of heavy weaponry and armored vehicles, the 252 blockades across 20 states with 90% cleared by 20: 00 local time, and the statements from Governor Pablo Lemus and President Claudia Sheinbaum together form the sequence of events and official responses following the killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho".
