Soldiers on Sunday reportedly killed one of Mexico’s most wanted drug lords, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as “El Mencho,” during a military operation, according to local media reports.
There was no immediate official confirmation from the Mexican government regarding the reported death of Oseguera, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The United States had placed a $15 million bounty on him.
Mexican newspapers El Universal and Reforma, as well as broadcaster Televisa, reported that Oseguera was killed during the operation.
Earlier in the day, armed individuals set vehicles ablaze in the western state of Jalisco, blocking several roads in apparent response to security forces targeting a high-value figure. The unrest later spread to neighboring Michoacán, where the cartel also maintains a strong presence.
Oseguera is among the most prominent drug figures targeted since the capture of Joaquín Guzmán, known as “El Chapo,” and Ismael Zambada, founders of the Sinaloa Cartel. Both are currently serving prison sentences in the United States.
Formed in 2009, the CJNG grew into one of Mexico’s most violent criminal organizations, according to the United States Department of Justice. U.S. authorities have accused the cartel of trafficking cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the United States.
