Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), has been killed during a military operation, Mexican newspaper El Universal reported.

The announcement comes amid widespread violence across the country, including road blockades and vehicle burnings, primarily in the states of Jalisco, Michoacán, Colima, Guerrero, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Zacatecas, and Tamaulipas.

The news followed a federal security operation in the city of Tapalpa, Jalisco, according to a post by Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro on X.

“Federal forces carried out an operation in Tapalpa a few hours ago, which has led to confrontations in the area. Also as a result of this operation, in various points of that region and in other parts of Jalisco, individuals have burned and blocked vehicles to hinder the action of the authorities,” Navarro wrote.

“I have given the instruction to immediately set up the security committee with authorities from all three levels of government and to activate the red code in order to prevent acts against the population.”

Governor Alfredo Ramirez Bedolla of Michoacán reported that highways in his state were blocked as a result of the operation.

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Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes was born on July 17, 1966, in Aguililla, Michoacán, Mexico. He was a Mexican national and one of the most wanted fugitives in the country. He founded the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in 2009, which grew into one of Mexico’s most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations.

Under his leadership, CJNG controlled large-scale trafficking of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the United States and was linked to numerous homicides, attacks on rival cartels, law enforcement officers, and assassination attempts on government officials.

He was indicted multiple times in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, most recently in 2022, on charges including drug trafficking, firearms violations, and operating a continuing criminal enterprise. In 2024, the US Department of State had offered up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.