Violence Flares in Mexico After Top Cartel Leader El Mencho Killed by Military

A burnt bus set up as a blockade by members of organized crime following a military operation in which Mexican officials said cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera, “El Mencho,” was killed, at a tourist area, in Zapopan, Mexico, on Feb. 22, 2026. Gabriel Trujillo/ReutersViolence erupted across parts of Mexico after the Mexican military killed cartel leader “El Mencho” on Feb. 22, with reports of vehicles being burned on highways and gunfire reported in public spaces.El Mencho, whose real name is Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, also known as CJNG, one of the most powerful drug organizations in the country.