One of the world’s most wanted drug traffickers, the Mexican cartel boss known as “El Mencho,” has been killed by security forces, the Mexican Defense Ministry announced. The operation sparked a wave of violence, with cars set on fire and armed groups blocking highways in more than six states.

The drug lord’s real name is Nemesio Ruben Oseguera CervantesHe was killed on Sunday along with at least six accomplices in the western state of Jalisco, the ministry said in a statement.

The 59-year-old was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a gang that has become Mexico’s most powerful and notorious criminal organization in recent years.

Although not as internationally famous as the currently imprisoned Sinaloa cartel of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the Jalisco group is a household name in Mexico, notorious for its displays of ultra-violence and large military-style arsenals.

Four cartel members died at the scene, and three others, including El Mencho, died during transport to Mexico City.

Two suspected cartel members were arrested with weapons including rocket launchers capable of crashing planes and destroying armored vehicles. picture An article published in a local newspaper, El Occidental, depicts what appears to be a fierce battle in Tapalpa, located in Mexico’s Sierra Madre Mountains.

The ministry added that three soldiers were injured during the operation and were taken to the capital for treatment. A Jalisco state official, who requested anonymity, later told The Associated Press that a National Guard member was killed in Tapalpa during the operation, six others were killed in Zapopan, a prison guard was killed at a detention center in Puerto Vallarta where prisoners rioted, and an employee of the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office was killed in Guadalajara. Further details were not immediately available.

The Defense Ministry said U.S. officials provided “supplementary information” that contributed to the success of the operation.

El Mencho’s murder caused immediate chaos throughout the region he ruled, demonstrating his enormous influence in Mexico and other parts of Latin America. The violence forced U.S. and Canadian airlines to cancel dozens of flights. Air Canada says it is suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta “due to the continuing security situation” and advised customers not to go to the airport..

On Sunday, “drug” barricades made of burning cars, buses and trucks could be seen on the other side. at least eight Mexican states: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Michoacán, Colima, Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas. Video footage showed huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky above Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist city on Mexico’s west coast known for its spectacular Pacific beaches.

There were scenes of chaos in Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state, one of the host cities for the 2026 World Cup. Panicked passengers at the airport sprinted to protect themselvesapparently fearing retaliatory attacks from El Mencho fighters. armed men were seen vehicle arson Located in the center of town.

​1 video Footage posted on social media showed heavily armed men pulling up a white car and setting fire to a gas station in Guadalajara.

By Sunday night, Guadalajara had become a ghost town with civilians hunched over. School was canceled in several states on Monday.

The US had offered a $15 million (£11 million) reward for the arrest of El Mencho, who is accused of smuggling large amounts of cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine across the southern border. The El Mencho cartel, which was founded about 16 years ago and has become Mexico’s most influential criminal organization, has also been accused of attempting to assassinate a Mexican government official.

U.S. government officials celebrated El Mencho’s killing. The killings follow months of pressure from President Donald Trump over the influx of drugs and migrants across the 1,954-mile (3,145-kilometer) border between the two countries. The US president even threatened military action against the cartels he claims are “running Mexico.” In an article about X, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau called El Mencho “one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug lords.” “This is a great development for Mexico, the United States, Latin America and the world,” he wrote.

The exact circumstances of El Mencho’s killing, which analysts called the biggest blow to Mexican cartels in more than a decade, remained unclear Sunday. The Ministry of Defense announced that special forces from the Army and National Guard, with support from the Air Force and military intelligence, launched an operation to capture a fugitive drug lord in Tapalpa, a town about 130 miles southwest of Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state. However, while doing so, “military personnel came under attack” and fired back.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said the operation was carried out by Mexican special forces “within the framework of bilateral cooperation and with complementary intelligence provided by U.S. authorities.”

A US defense official told Reuters that the interagency Task Force Counter Cartel, which specializes in gathering intelligence on drug cartels, played a role in the military raid. The task force was secretly formed late last year to unravel networks of drug cartel members on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. officials said.

White House press secretary Caroline Levitt called “El Mencho” a major “fentanyl trafficker to the homeland,” adding that he was the U.S. government’s number one target. He acknowledged that the United States provided “intelligence support” to Mexico in support of the operation.

Amid growing unrest, Jalisco’s governor, Pablo Lemus Navarro, has called on Jalisco’s 8 million people to stay at home “until the situation is under control.” Lemus said public transport services had been suspended and people should not travel on the state’s roads due to “violent incidents” that had spread to at least five regions of the country.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City also made the announcement. security warningcalled on U.S. citizens in the states of Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Guerrero, and Nuevo León to “shelter in place” in affected areas as a result of “security operations and related road closures and criminal activity.”

“Criminal gangs burned vehicles and set up barricades in several cities in Jalisco… There were gunfights with security forces and explosions… if you are,” the Canadian government said. [there] keep a low profile [and] Stay informed of the rapidly changing situation by monitoring national and international media. ”

In response to the attack after El Mencho’s murder, Landau wrote to X: “I watch the scenes of violence in Mexico with great sadness and concern. It is not surprising that the bad guys react with fear. But we must never lose our nerve.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said: “There is absolute coordination with all state governments and we must stay informed and calm.”

“The Security Cabinet’s social media accounts will continue to provide updates. Activities are continuing as normal in most parts of the country.”