Mexico in Flames: CJNG Declares War After Leader El Mencho Dies in Custody
Mexico erupted in violence on Wednesday as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) — one of the hemisphere’s most powerful criminal organizations — launched coordinated attacks across at least 20 states following the death of their leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” who died shortly after being captured by Mexican special forces.
El Mencho, Mexico’s most-wanted figure, was seriously injured in a firefight between his security detail and military commandos deployed to arrest him in the town of Tapalpa, Jalisco. He died while being transported to Mexico City, according to the Defence Ministry. Six of his bodyguards were also killed; three military personnel were wounded.
Within hours, CJNG cells activated across the country. In scenes reminiscent of the 2019 Sinaloa chaos that followed the capture of Ovidio Guzmán López, cartel gunmen commandeered vehicles, set them ablaze on major highways, threw spikes and nails onto roads, torched banks, pharmacies and local businesses, and sent plumes of smoke rising over cities including the World Cup host destination of Guadalajara.
At Guadalajara’s airport — one of the venues for this summer’s FIFA World Cup — travellers were seen crouching on the floor as panic spread following reports of gunfire near the terminal. A Milenio journalist confirmed seeing a burnt-out car on the highway but said authorities had dismissed reports of shooting inside the airport itself.
In Puerto Vallarta, another World Cup host city and a major tourist destination on Mexico’s Pacific coast, visitors were ordered to shelter in place. Videos showed black smoke billowing from burning vehicles across several neighbourhoods. One tourist described the scene to El Economista as looking “like a war zone.” Around 300 visitors were stranded at Puerto Vallarta’s airport after flights were cancelled; they were later transferred to the city centre under heavy police escort.
The UK Foreign Office issued an urgent advisory urging nationals in Puerto Vallarta to “exercise extreme caution” and follow all local authority instructions. The U.S. State Department urged American citizens to shelter in place in the states of Jalisco, Baja California, Quintana Roo, and parts of Guanajuato, Guerrero, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas.
Jalisco’s governor declared a “code red,” halting public transport and cancelling mass events and school classes. President Claudia Sheinbaum urged citizens to remain “calm and informed.” More than 250 road blockade incidents were reported nationwide; security officials said roughly 90% had been cleared, though tensions remained high in CJNG’s Jalisco stronghold. Twenty-five people were arrested, including 11 for violent acts and 14 for alleged looting.
The U.S. government has placed CJNG at the top of its western hemisphere security agenda. El Mencho’s death — years in the making after previous near-captures — leaves a power vacuum in Mexico’s most prolific cartel, whose footprint stretches from the U.S. border to Central America.
The World Cup begins in June. Mexican authorities have acknowledged the reputational stakes are enormous.