Townhall Times, New Delhi
Reporter: Bhavika Kalra
If you had a flight booked to Mexico this week, or if you’ve been following the news from Jalisco, you know that things just took a massive, violent turn. For over a decade, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes was the ghost that the world’s best intelligence agencies couldn’t catch. But as of Sunday, February 22, 2026, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is officially dead.
He didn’t go quietly. His death has triggered a level of retaliation that has effectively shut down parts of western Mexico. We’re talking about burning buses, blocked highways, and absolute chaos at international airports. This isn’t just “crime news”—it’s a national emergency that has the entire country on a “Code Red” alert.
The Takedown: A Sunday Morning Firefight
The operation happened in a mountain town called Tapalpa, in the state of Jalisco. This wasn’t a local police raid; it was a high-level military strike. Mexican Special Forces, reportedly acting on intelligence shared by the U.S., cornered El Mencho in one of his strongholds.
The shootout was intense. Cartel gunmen used heavy weaponry, including rocket launchers designed to take down helicopters. El Mencho was seriously wounded during the gunbattle and died while the military was trying to airlift him to Mexico City. Along with him, several of his top lieutenants were killed or arrested, and the army recovered a stash of armored vehicles and high-powered rifles.
Retaliation: Airports Under Siege and Cities Ablaze
The cartel didn’t wait for a funeral to strike back. Within hours of the news hitting the streets, the “narcoblockades” started. CJNG gunmen hijacked trucks and buses, set them on fire, and parked them across more than 20 major highways to paralyze the military’s movements.
The most terrifying scenes, however, were at the airports. If you’ve seen the videos on social media from Guadalajara International Airport or Puerto Vallarta, they look like something out of a war zone. Travelers—many of them American and Canadian tourists—were seen diving behind luggage counters and running across tarmacs as reports of armed men entering the terminals spread.
As a result, airlines like Air Canada, United, and American have pulled the plug on dozens of flights. If you’re stuck in one of these cities, the advice from every embassy, including the Indian and U.S. embassies, is the same: Stay inside, lock your doors, and don’t try to get to the airport until the situation is clear.
The Power Vacuum: What Happens Now?
The big worry isn’t just the burning cars today; it’s what happens tomorrow. El Mencho was the glue that held the CJNG together. He was a former cop who ran his cartel like a paramilitary organization. Now that he’s gone, there are two big risks:
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Internal War: Top lieutenants like “El Sapo” or El Mencho’s own stepson, “El Pelón,” might start a bloody war within the cartel to see who gets the throne.
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The Rivals: The Sinaloa Cartel—El Chapo’s old crew—is almost certainly going to try and move into Jalisco while the CJNG is in disarray.
This couldn’t have happened at a more sensitive time. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just months away, the eyes of the world are on Guadalajara, which is supposed to host several matches. If the government can’t get the streets back under control quickly, the pressure on President Claudia Sheinbaum is going to be immense.
The Bottom Line
The killing of El Mencho is a massive win for law enforcement, and even President Trump took to social media to celebrate the “intel support” provided by the U.S. But for the people living in Jalisco and Michoacán, the victory feels a lot more complicated.
It’s February 23, 2026, and the smoke is still rising over Guadalajara. The “king” is dead, but the war for his empire has only just begun. The next 72 hours will tell us if this is the beginning of the end for the CJNG, or just the start of a much more violent chapter.
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