Mexico's military killed Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," the longtime leader of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), during an operation of the Mexican Army on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, reported the Mexican government.
The killing immediately becomes one of the most consequential blows to a major Mexican criminal organization in years, both because CJNG has been widely described as among the country's most powerful and violent groups, and because Oseguera Cervantes had remained a fugitive despite a years-long, binational manhunt that included a U.S. State Department reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
What happened
According to reports from the AP, the operation occurred in the western state of Jalisco and was followed by roadblocks and burning vehicles, a tactic frequently used by cartels to slow security forces. The strike as an operation in the mountains of Jalisco and framed it as a major security success for President Claudia Sheinbaum's government, adding that more official details were expected, added Mexican journalist Joaquín López Dóriga.
La muerte de El Mencho en un operativo militar es el mayor golpe al crimen organizado por parte del gobierno mexicano.
— Joaquín López-Dóriga (@lopezdoriga) February 22, 2026
Era el más buscado en México y Estados Unidos.
Por eso la violenta y extensa reacción nunca vista.
Who "El Mencho" was
Oseguera Cervantes rose from local criminal networks into the top tier of Mexico's underworld, becoming the face of CJNG's rapid expansion. CJNG emerged after fractures in earlier organizations, and over time built a reputation for combining sophisticated trafficking with aggressive territorial violence, as well as diversification into other illicit businesses.
U.S. authorities had pursued him for years. The State Department publicly identified him as a major target in late 2024 when it increased the reward offer to $15 million under the Narcotics Rewards Program. U.S. agencies have also described CJNG as a leading driver of synthetic drug flows, including fentanyl, into the United States.
Autoridades de Estados Unidos ofrecían hasta 15 millones de dólares por información de su paradero.
— Joaquín López-Dóriga (@lopezdoriga) February 22, 2026
Hoy "El Mencho" fue abatido. https://t.co/lMYN8D6kbl pic.twitter.com/MmuCfhxSsn
According to In Sight Crime, CJNG is not just a cartel, it has been described by U.S. officials and researchers as a network that grew by absorbing or partnering with existing criminal cells in multiple regions, which is one reason "decapitation" events can trigger unpredictable splintering.
A central power pillar around CJNG has been the role of financial and family-linked structures, including Los Cuinis, tied to the Gonzalez Valencia family, which U.S. prosecutors have described as crucial to CJNG's money movement and international reach. Reporting and investigations have also detailed how those family ties helped CJNG consolidate, including through the marriage of Oseguera Cervantes to Rosalinda Gonzalez Valencia, who has faced Mexican legal cases tied to money laundering allegations.
CJNG's rivalries have repeatedly overlapped with other major criminal groups, especially the Sinaloa Cartel, and conflicts in key states like Guanajuato, where CJNG has battled the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel amid spikes in violence.
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho", pasó de ser un recolector de aguacates en su natal Michoacán a convertirse en el líder absoluto del Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), una de las organizaciones criminales más violentas del siglo XXI. https://t.co/lMYN8D6kbl pic.twitter.com/ZLx6kAwIkb
— Joaquín López-Dóriga (@lopezdoriga) February 22, 2026
What his death could mean for Mexico's narco power balance
What changes now depend less on symbolism than on succession, cohesion, and whether CJNG's regional commanders stay aligned.
One likely short-term consequence is volatility. Research on cartel fragmentation and Mexico's "kingpin" era has repeatedly found that removing a top leader can produce splintering, contested leadership, and new local wars as factions fight over revenue streams and routes. Analysts who track armed group dynamics have warned that Mexico's criminal landscape is already prone to shifting battle lines, with major groups exploiting rivals' internal fractures and rapidly expanding into gaps.
A second possibility is that CJNG adapts rather than collapses. CJNG has been described as unusually expansionist and organizationally flexible, with a footprint that extends through multiple states and an ability to plug into local cells. That type of network can sometimes survive leadership losses if the financial and logistics architecture remains intact.
A third impact is on the broader rivalry map. If CJNG's internal leadership becomes contested, rivals could attempt to seize territory or trafficking corridors, especially in hotspots where CJNG already faces entrenched enemies. Conversely, if CJNG's next leadership consolidates quickly, the cartel may seek to demonstrate strength through retaliation, roadblocks, and intimidation, tactics already reported around the operation.
The U.S. and Mexico policy stakes
The timing is also politically charged. AP noted that the U.S. government recently designated CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization, a step that can widen legal tools, sanctions pressure, and rhetoric around cartel enforcement. In parallel, the United States has increased sanctions activity against CJNG-linked figures and networks in recent years, often emphasizing fentanyl and violence as drivers.
For Sheinbaum's government, the death of CJNG's top leader will be framed as a major win, but it also raises the hardest question Mexico has faced for two decades: whether removing a kingpin reduces violence, or simply reshuffles it.
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