Mexican Authorities Kill Cartel Leader El Mencho in Jalisco

Mexican authorities announced on Sunday that Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho and the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was killed during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco. The operation took place in the municipality of Tapalpa, according to a government official familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Oseguera, a former police officer, had evaded capture for years while directing one of Mexico's most violent and expansive drug trafficking organizations. The cartel, which draws its name from Jalisco state and is based near Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city, rapidly grew into a major force rivaling the Sinaloa Cartel, whose former leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison. Under Oseguera's command, the group expanded operations across Mexico and into the United States, where it supplies significant quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, generating billions in revenue annually, according to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration assessments.

The death was confirmed by a federal security source, marking a significant blow to the cartel, which the U.S....