GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — Twenty-five members of the Mexican National Guard died in six separate attacks after special forces killed the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the country’s security secretary said Monday as much of Mexico feared more violence.
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, called “El Mencho,” was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, known for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen attacks against government officials who challenged the cartel.
The organization responded to his death by blocking roads and setting fire to vehicles.
Oseguera Cervantes died after a shootout in his home state of Jalisco as the Mexican military attempted to capture him. Mexican Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said Monday that authorities had followed one of Oseguera Cervantes’ romantic partners to his hideout in Tapalpa.
Army and National Guard special forces moved in Sunday morning and immediately came under heavy fire. Eight gunmen were killed there. Oseguera Cervantes and two bodyguards fled into a wooded area where they were seriously wounded in a firefight. They were taken into custody and died on the way to Mexico City, Trevilla said.
