An operational force with ground and air personnel, which had “complementary information” from the United States Northern Command, ended the life of the leader of the powerful Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel on February 22, Rubén Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias 'El Mencho' and one of his main lieutenants. Below are the details of the military action of one of the most wanted drug trafficking bosses, according to the description of President Claudia Sheinbaum and the Secretaries of Defense and Security.

First modification: 02/23/2026 - 19:56 Last modification: 02/23/2026 - 20:38

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The transfer of a woman to some cabins near a forested area of ​​Tapalpa, in Jalisco, was the key to activating the operation in which the most wanted drug trafficking leader in Mexico, Rubén Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias 'El Mencho', was reduced.

The Government of Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that the deployment that ended the life of Oseguera Cervantes had “complementary information” from the United States Northern Command, but was entirely carried out by Mexican land and air military commands.

"Eight criminals" lost their lives in the operation, General Ricardo Trevilla, Mexico's Secretary of Defense, said at the joint press conference.

However, Trevilla also detailed that in a later device, while trying to reduce the incidents of violence unleashed by the cartel, one of his main lieutenants, Hugo H., alias 'El Tuli', who was the boss's “logistical, financial operator and main trusted person” was also liquidated.

"The most important thing now is to guarantee the peace and security of all of Mexico"

25 members of the National Guard were killed after the cartel unleashed chaos in Jalisco and 10 other states following the news of the death of 'El Mencho', according to the Secretary of Security, Omar García Harfuch.

President Claudia Sheinbaum made special recognition to the Secretariat of National Defense, the Army, the National Guard and the Air Force for the success of the operation. “You can rest assured that peace, tranquility and normality are being protected in the country,” said the president.

"The most important thing now is to guarantee the peace and security of all of Mexico and this is being done," he added at a press conference.

These are the main questions that the Mexican authorities answered during the press conference to explain the operation.

Read alsoGovernment of Mexico confirms the death of 'El Mencho', leader of the CJNG and one of the most wanted bosses

Why was alias 'El Mencho' wanted?

General Ricardo Trevilla recalled that Oseguera Cervantes was “considered a relevant target” since the 90s, when he became a fundamental element of the Milenio cartel, led by Armando Valencia Cortelio.

But he became a focus of international interest when the United States added him to the most wanted list in May 2016.

His position became even more critical when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture, to answer before a federal court in Texas for crimes related to drug trafficking.

Read alsoWho was Rubén Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias 'El Mencho', the most wanted drug trafficker in Mexico?

How did the drug trafficking kingpin be found?

Ricardo Trevilla cited “central military intelligence and complementary information from the institutions of the security cabinet and also from United States institutions” as the guiding threads of the operation that led to Oseguera Cervantes.

The joint work, as a result of strengthening the relationship with the United States Northern Command, gave rise to a "very important exchange of information", which allowed "monitoring of the network of links of 'Mencho', until the conditions were met to deploy an operation to arrest him."

This work of “central military intelligence” made it possible to identify a trusted man of one of the romantic partners of 'Mencho', who was followed when he went to take the woman to some cabins in Tapalpa.

Read also: What is the impact of the death of 'El Mencho', the most wanted drug trafficker in Mexico?

Who carried out the attack?

The execution of the operation that ended with the death of Oseguera Cervantes was completely carried out by members of the Mexican Armed Forces, stressed the Administration of Claudia Sheinbaum.

Personnel from the Special Immediate Reaction Force of the National Guard planned the device, which according to Trevilla had three components: “a ground component (made up of personnel from a joint force of the army and the GN), an airmobile force (made up of six helicopters) and an air support force with Texan aircraft from the Mexican Air Force.”

However, hours before the White House confirmed that the United States cooperated with intelligence information that served in the operation.

“The United States provided intelligence support to the Mexican government to assist in an operation in Talpalpa, Jalisco, Mexico, in which Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, infamous drug trafficker and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was eliminated,” stated press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Hours earlier, an exclusive report from the Reuters news agency, which cited a US Defense official, detailed that this cooperation came from the so-called Joint Anti-Cartel Interagency Working Group, led by the US military and specialized in collecting intelligence information on drug cartels.

Although it is made up of several agencies of the United States Government, the group was officially launched last January, with the central objective of mapping the networks of members of drug trafficking cartels on both sides of the border between the United States and Mexico, the source detailed.

The operation on the ground against Rubén Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias 'El Mencho', was completely carried out by the Mexican Army, the official emphasized.

How did the operation develop?

Trevilla described at the press conference that the helicopters did not arrive in Jalisco, but rather remained “on alert in some places in surrounding states,” as a way to avoid alerting the targets and maintain the element of surprise.

On February 20, the bodyguard took the woman to Tapalpa to meet Oseguera Cervantes.

"In this place, (the woman) met with 'El Mencho' and on February 21 she left the property and information was obtained that he remained in that place, with a security circle," the Secretary of Defense explained to the press.

The operation began on the 22nd with the movement of the ground force to carry out a siege and carry out the arrest, which would be based on the fact that the capo had two arrest warrants for crimes related to organized crime.

“We had information that the personnel were armed, so the Federal Firearms and Explosives Control Law was going to be applied to arrest them in flagrante delicto,” Trevilla said.

The military deployment was met with fire by the security personnel of Oseguera Cervantes, which caused injuries to two agents and was immediately responded to by law enforcement.

The action left "eight criminals dead" and not four, as initially reported. “When checking the place, four more bodies were located,” the general explained.

The circumstances in which 'El Mencho' died

Oseguera Cervantes and several elements of his escort entered the wooded area around the cabins to try to escape the military siege that was pursuing them.

"They located it hidden in the undergrowth, they opened fire, wounding one of our men. They also carried rocket launchers, which they did not use due to the pressure exerted. However, they did hit a helicopter from an airmobile force, which was forced to make an emergency landing at a nearby military installation in Sayula, Jalisco," Trevilla said.

The military response seriously injured 'El Mencho' and two of his bodyguards. Another two were detained and “once the situation was controlled, Military Health personnel went to the scene to evacuate them and transfer them to a medical facility in Jalisco.”

According to Trevilla, the men died during the transfer, after which the helicopter was diverted to the Morelia international airport, in Michoacán, to transfer the bodies to an Air Force fighter plane, which would take them to Mexico City.

“That was decided because it was no longer convenient to get to Guadalajara, especially because of the risk that this criminal group could carry out more violent actions there,” Trevilla explained.

How was 'El Mencho's' lieutenant "eliminated"?

Trevilla added that “central military intelligence” made it possible to determine that Hugo H., alias ‘El Tuli’, was in El Grullo, Jalisco, “coordinating blockades on communication routes, fires on vehicles, attacks on military installations, businesses and government buildings.”

The special force had information that the man was offering rewards of up to 20,000 pesos ($1,157) for each soldier who was eliminated.

“An airmobile unit of special forces from the Parachute Rifle Brigade is deployed, they locate him in El Grullo, he tries to escape aboard a vehicle, he begins to attack the military personnel, who repel the action and there this alleged criminal dies,” explained Trevilla.

What items were seized in the operation?

Seven long weapons, two rocket launchers (a Russian RPG and a Belgian-made RL-83 or Blindicide), eight vehicles, two Razers (light all-terrain cars), cartridges and magazines were seized in the cabins.

It was later determined that the RPG was used in 2015 to shoot down an Air Force helicopter in Autlán, Navarro, “precisely in an operation that had been mounted to arrest this criminal.”

In the wooded area where the CJNG leader was killed, three other long weapons, two short weapons, another rocket launcher, grenades and more magazines and cartridges were seized.

In the operation in which 'El Tuli' fell, the seizure of a long weapon, a short weapon, cartridges, magazines, the vehicle in which he fled and 7.2 million pesos ($416,512) and $965,000 in cash were confiscated.

How was the subsequent climate of violence generated?

The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, explained that after learning of the death of Oseguera Cervantes, elements of the cartel carried out “road blockades, burning of vehicles, attacks on gas stations, establishments and banking institutions, as well as cowardly attacks on authorities and fires.”

Jalisco was the most affected state, with 25 National Guard troops dead, as well as a guard, a member of the local Attorney General's Office and a woman who was caught in the crossfire.

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Trevilla offered his condolences with a broken voice to the families of the deceased soldiers, who “accomplished their mission and demonstrated the strength of the Mexican state.”

García Harfuch added that 30 members of criminal groups also died in the midst of the actions to end the 18 road blockades that kept Jalisco in suspense and “70 people were arrested in seven states of the republic.”

In total, there were 85 federal highways affected by the cuts in Baja California, the state of Mexico, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Jalisco, Oaxaca, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Zacatecas, but according to Sheinbaum and García, all of them have already been resolved.

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