Mexico Grapples with Power Vacuum After El Mencho Cartel Leaders Death

Here is a rewritten version of the article in a neutral newsroom style:

Mexico’s Army Kills CJNG Leader, Triggers Violence Across Multiple States

Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho”, was killed by Mexican authorities on Sunday. The leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was targeted in an operation by Mexico’s army.

Following news of El Mencho’s death, suspected cartel members launched coordinated attacks across multiple states, including Jalisco. These attacks included the destruction of convenience stores and petrol stations, as well as the erection of flaming roadblocks, known locally as narcobloqueos. The roadblocks paralyzed cities and cut off key routes.

Miguel Alfonso Meza, director of Defensorx, a Mexican civil organization dedicated to strategic litigation and human rights defense, stated that panic spread among many people following the attacks. “I heard from several relatives who had panic attacks; they were calling in tears, desperate, because they didn’t know what was going to happen,” he said.

The violence appeared to be intended to project strength and demonstrate the cartel’s reach following the loss of its leader. In Jalisco alone, more than 25 National Guard members were killed. Meza described this as “one of the bloodiest days” with significant losses for the federal government.

The CJNG is one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations. Founded in approximately 2009-2010, the group emerged from the remnants of the Milenio cartel and quickly grew into a dominant force in the country’s drug trade. The organization has built a reputation for ruthlessness and violence, similar to that of the old Zetas cartel.

The United States Department of State has described the CJNG as one of Mexico’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations, with significant cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine distribution networks, as well as international trafficking routes stretching through Latin America to the US and parts of Asia. The group also profits from extortion, migrant smuggling, and oil and mineral theft.

The cartel has been linked to a series of high-profile attacks against security forces and public officials. In 2015, gunmen shot down a Mexican military helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade during an operation to capture its leader. In June 2020, the group attempted to assassinate then public security secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch in Mexico City.

Analysts say that the CJNG’s growth has been driven by both strategy and brutality. The organization’s violence is deliberate and performative, designed to dominate rivals quickly and discourage resistance.

Source: Al Jazeera