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Terrorism & Violence· By ARMSMA

Mexico killed the leader of the Jalisco cartel — why did 20 states pay the price?

The operation in Tapalpa, a town in the Mexican state of Jalisco, was meant to capture him. On Sunday, 22 February 2026, soldiers came under attack and returned fire, Mexico's defence ministry said. Four members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) died at the scene. Three more were seriously wounded and died while being flown to Mexico City, the Guadalajara Reporter reported. One of them was the cartel's leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho”.

His organisation answered. Roadblocks, burning vehicles and attacks on businesses spread across the country.

Why does this matter beyond Jalisco?

By 23 February, more than 250 roadblocks had gone up across 20 states, according to Al Jazeera. Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said 25 members of the National Guard were killed in six separate incidents in Jalisco. Thirty suspected criminals were killed in Jalisco and four in Michoacán.

The episode tested a question that hangs over every “kingpin” operation: whether removing one leader reduces violence, or scatters it. Mexico was also under growing US pressure to take a tougher line on drug-trafficking groups, Al Jazeera noted.

What role did the United States play?

The defence ministry (Sedena) said the operation was coordinated with the National Intelligence Center, the Attorney General's Office and Army Special Forces. It said US intelligence agencies provided “complementary information”. According to La Razón, the ministry framed the raid as part of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the US, built on Mexican military intelligence work.

La Razón also reported that two people were detained, weapons and armoured vehicles were seized and three people were wounded during the operation.

How was his death confirmed?

At first Sedena said forensic analysis was needed to confirm the identity. On 23 February the Attorney General's Office (FGR) confirmed it through DNA testing, Uno TV reported.

How did the government respond to the reprisals?

Defence Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said 2,500 additional members of the security forces would be sent to Jalisco. President Claudia Sheinbaum said all the roadblocks had been removed and that “what is important now is to guarantee peace and security of all the population, of all of Mexico.”

Air travel was hit. Sheinbaum said flights to and from Puerto Vallarta were expected to resume within a day or two; the US State Department said Puerto Vallarta flights remained disrupted because of crew availability, and listed Guadalajara among airports where it expected disruption. The Mexican embassy dismissed online rumours of attacks on civilians at Guadalajara airport.

In Aguililla, Michoacán, the cartel attacked a military outpost. “First there was a huge gun battle, and then another, and another,” a resident told AFP.

How many people died?

The answer depends on the source and the date:

  • 59 — the sum of the figures García Harfuch gave on 23 February (25 National Guard members, 30 suspects in Jalisco, 4 in Michoacán), as reported by Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera did not present a total.
  • More than 70 — the retaliatory violence “killed more than 70 people”, WBUR's Here & Now reported on 2 March.

Neither figure is broken down in the sources we opened to show how many of the dead were civilians.

What we do not know

  • Who leads the CJNG now. None of the sources we opened names a successor.
  • Whether the cartel has fragmented. The sources we opened give no evidence either way.
  • The full toll, including any civilians, as of the date of this article.

What to watch

By 23 February, Sheinbaum said, all the roadblocks had been removed. The harder test is slower: whether violence in Jalisco and Michoacán settles or spreads as rivals and lieutenants compete for what El Mencho left behind.

Sources

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