Nemesio Oseguera, leader of Mexico’s largest drug cartel CJNG, was tracked down and eliminated after intelligence agencies followed the trail left by his girlfriend.
Mexican Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla revealed on February 23 that, prior to the raid that ended Oseguera’s life (known by his alias “El Mencho”) on February 22, agents had identified a close associate of the cartel leader’s girlfriend.
On February 21, intelligence officers spotted the woman being brought to Tapalpa, a mountain resort town in Jalisco state, to meet Oseguera. After his girlfriend departed, Oseguera remained at the location with his security detail.
Nemesio Oseguera (center) in a photo from U.S. federal prosecutors’ evidence. Photo: U.S. Court
According to Minister Trevilla, the Mexican National Guard’s Special Rapid Reaction Force meticulously planned the operation. Troops approached the area but avoided entering Jalisco directly “to preserve secrecy and maintain the element of surprise.” Once Oseguera’s presence was confirmed at the resort, they launched the raid.
“It was quite an intense operation,” Minister Trevilla said, noting that authorities seized a large quantity of weapons at the scene, including assault rifles and two rocket launchers.
In 2015, Oseguera’s security team had used a rocket launcher to shoot down a Mexican military helicopter, allowing the leader to escape capture at that time.
This time, luck ran out for Oseguera. During his attempted escape, he and his inner circle hid in a forested area surrounding the wooden resort cabin.
Soldiers quickly surrounded the group despite fierce resistance. Oseguera’s guards managed to hit a military helicopter, forcing it to make an emergency landing at a nearby base.
A bus set ablaze on a highway in Cointzio, Michoacán state, on February 22, after Mexican President announced Oseguera’s death. Photo: AP
In the ensuing firefight, troops shot and wounded Oseguera along with two of his bodyguards. All three were airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Guadalajara but died en route. Their bodies were later flown to Mexico City and handed over to the Attorney General’s Office. Security Minister Omar García Harfuch stated that Oseguera’s remains would be released to his family.
In retaliation for Oseguera’s death, armed cartel members blocked more than 20 highways in Jalisco by setting vehicles and trucks on fire. Twenty-five National Guard members were killed in Jalisco during six separate retaliatory attacks carried out by CJNG. Violence also spread to other Mexican states but began to subside by February 23.
The government deployed approximately 10,000 troops to restore security, though road blockades and restrictions continued in remote areas of Jalisco and neighboring Michoacán.
Oseguera was arrested in San Francisco in 1986 on drug-related charges. Photo: DEA
U.S. media have described Oseguera as Mexico’s most powerful drug lord. After its formation in 2009, his CJNG cartel became one of the most violent drug-trafficking organizations in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Washington has designated CJNG a foreign terrorist organization, accusing it of trafficking cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into U.S. territory.
Oseguera’s elimination comes amid intense U.S. pressure on Mexico to curb the flow of drugs — especially fentanyl — into the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened tariffs on Mexican imports, claiming that President Claudia Sheinbaum has not done enough to combat drug trafficking operations.
