The killing of one of the most notorious drug lords in Mexico, Nemesio Oseguera, widely known as El Mencho, in a military raid on Sunday sparked widespread retaliatory violence in the country.
President Claudia Sheinbaum has been under mounting pressure from the United States government to intensify her offensive against drug cartels blamed for producing and smuggling drugs, particularly the synthetic opioid fentanyl, across the border to the U.S.
Oseguera, 60, the mastermind of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), died in custody after being injured in a military operation by Mexican special forces in the town of Tapalpa on Mexico’s Pacific coast in Jalisco state, according to Mexico’s defense ministry.
His corpse arrived in Mexico City on Sunday afternoon in a heavily guarded convoy of National Guard troops.
A new U.S.-military-led task force played a role in the raid led and carried out by Mexican forces, according to Reuters.
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later posted on social media that the United States provided intelligence support.
Leavitt added that the Trump administration “commends and thanks the Mexican military for their cooperation and successful execution of this operation.”
After reports of El Mencho’s death, cartel henchmen blockaded highways with burning cars and torched businesses in more than a half a dozen states, paralysing parts of the country. No civilian deaths have been reported.
In Jalisco’s popular beach resort of Puerto Vallarta, frightened tourists on social media described a “war zone” as plumes of dark smoke rose into the sky from around the bay. Air Canada, United Airlines, Aeromexico, and American Airlines suspended flights in the area.
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