U.S. Praises Mexico for Eliminating Most-Wanted Cartel Boss
The Mexican Defense Ministry confirmed that Oseguera Cervantes sustained wounds during a joint army-led raid in Tapalpa, a town in the western state of Jalisco, and succumbed to those injuries aboard a medical aircraft en route to Mexico City. He had commanded one of Latin America's most formidable criminal empires — an organization accused of flooding the United States with fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamines, and designated a foreign terrorist organization by Washington last year.
His death ends the reign of a figure who carried a bounty of up to $15 million — making him the most wanted individual in Mexico and among the highest-priority targets for American law enforcement.
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau was among the first senior officials to publicly confirm the news. "I've just been informed that Mexican security forces have killed 'El Mencho,' one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins. This is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world," Landau wrote on X on Sunday, adding that "the good guys are stronger than the bad guys."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that American intelligence assets played a supporting role in the mission, identifying the slain kingpin as a central threat to US national security. "'El Mencho' was a top target for the Mexican and United States governments as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland," she wrote on X, adding that the administration of President Donald Trump thanked "the Mexican military for their cooperation and successful execution of this operation."
The raid was far from clean. Mexican authorities reported that soldiers faced immediate gunfire upon engaging cartel forces. Multiple suspected CJNG gunmen were killed in the firefight; others were wounded or taken into custody. Seizures included an arsenal of heavy weaponry — among them armored vehicles and rocket launchers. The fallout extended beyond the operation itself, as Jalisco erupted in localized unrest, with reports of vehicles set ablaze and roadblocks erected across the state. Officials appealed for calm, urging civilians to shelter in place while troops worked to suppress the violence.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
