El Mencho drug lord killed in Mexico operation amid US pressure

The killing of drug lord Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes may seem like a decisive victory in the war on drugs. But in Washington and Mexico CityBut it is also seen as something more strategic: a clear response to mounting American pressure that has reshaped Mexico’s approach to gangs.

process, Carried out by Mexican forces With support from US intelligence, it highlights deepening coordination between the two governments as fentanyl trafficking remains a central political and security issue in the United States.

Sin. Ted CruzThe Republican senator from Texas told Fox News Digital that he personally warned Mexican officials last year that Washington expected stronger action. “In August of last year, I went to Mexico. I took a trip to El Salvador, Panama, Mexico, and met with senior officials in the Mexican government. The message I conveyed to them was that they needed to get serious about fighting the cartels to stop drug trafficking into America and stop human trafficking into America. I told them that if they didn’t get serious, President Trump would.”

“This was before the Maduro raid, but the raid was not a surprise — it was clear that the president was going to do what was necessary to keep America safe,” Cruz added. “I will say that Mexico has changed sharply, and this is real evidence of that. Thousands of Americans are alive today because Trump was re-elected and Republicans were put in charge of Congress. If we had maintained the Democrats’ policies on open borders, there would be thousands more Americans killed by murder, other violent crimes, and drugs.” “Overdoses.”

A soldier stands guard over a charred vehicle after it was set on fire in Quintezio, Michoacán state, Mexico, Sunday, February 22, 2026, following the death of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.” (AP Photo/Armando Solis) (AP Photo/Armando Solis)

Melissa Ford Maldonado, Western Hemisphere Director at the American Policy First Institute, told Fox News Digital that the strike reflects a broader shift in incentives led by Washington.

“U.S. pressure has shaped Mexico’s actions,” Ford Maldonado said. “Pressure is the only thing that forces the Mexican state to act.” “The Trump administration has been clear in linking trade leverage and even the possibility of unilateral action to Mexico’s performance against the cartels, changing the entire incentive structure in Mexico City. When Washington demands clear results, Mexico is under pressure to produce something clear.”

The killing itself fits that dynamic, she said. “The killing of Al-Mancho is an attempt to do just that,” she said. “El Mencho was one of the most wanted men in the hemisphere, and… Jalisco New Generation Cartel Among the most violent and militarized gangs in Mexico. His death gives the Mexican government something tangible to point to—a high-value goal—and claim it is achieving. But these are merely tactical victories aimed at relieving direct pressure from Washington.”

The death toll rises after the leader of a Mexican drug cartel was killed in a US-backed operation

A worker sorts freshly printed copies of the Prime Minister’s newspaper with the headline “US draws ‘El Mencho’ map and Mexico strikes final blow, caught between two fires,” after drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” was killed in a military operation Sunday, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, February 22, 2026. (Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters)

Ford-Maldonado warned that high-profile removals have historically failed to achieve lasting stability.

“The problem is that tactical gains are not the same as strategic change. Tactical gains are no longer enough. If they were, the long list of previous arrests and renditions would have already solved this problem. I think Washington is looking for something deeper now: disrupting the ecosystem that allows cartel power to flourish. Mexico has Problem with corruptionRegional control extends to political protectionism, and they must address the political and financial networks that keep cartels in power.

Smoke billows from burning vehicles amid a wave of violence, with burning vehicles and gunmen blocking highways in more than six states, following a military operation Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” was killed in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, on February 22, 2026, a government source said. (Screen image obtained from a video on social media. @morelifediares via Instagram/Youtube/via Reuters)

She also pointed out Internal Mexican political dynamics Which may complicate the narrative.

In June 2020, Omar García Harfouch, then Mexico City’s police chief, He survived an assassination attempt It is widely attributed to El Mencho. Garcia Harvuch is now Mexico’s Minister of Security and Citizen Protection, and oversaw the operation that led to his murder.

“So there may be other motives,” Ford-Maldonado said. “Jalisco New Generation Cartel has been a long and very bloody cartel Rivalry with the Sinaloa CartelWhich some say is the traditional partner of the Morena regime. So, if the Mexican government goes after cartel rivals who have long been accused of tolerating or working alongside them, that alone does not prove that it has actually severed its colluding relationship with the cartel.

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Smoke billows from burning vehicles amid a wave of violence, with burning vehicles and gunmen blocking highways in more than six states, following a military operation Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” was killed in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, on February 22, 2026, a government source said. (Screenshot obtained from a video on social media. @morelifediares via Instagram/Youtube/via Reuters)

She said the killing was important at the moment but not final.

“Unfortunately, history has shown that killing a cartel leader rarely leads to lasting stability,” she said. “It only temporarily disrupts command and control.” “Whether this is a real turning point depends on what comes next, specifically, whether enforcement goes beyond prominent cartel leaders and begins to confront the political and financial networks that support them. Until then, this is important, but not transformative.”

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