El Mencho, leader of the CJNG cartel, reportedly killed in Mexico during a military operation, marking a major blow to organised crime

Nemesio Oseguera, also known as El Mencho, a notorious drug cartel leader, was reportedly killed by Mexican soldiers on Sunday, according to multiple media outlets. The Mexican government has not yet officially confirmed the death.

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Oseguera led the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most violent criminal organisations. A $15 million reward had been offered for information leading to his capture.

His reported death is being described as one of the biggest blows to drug trafficking networks since the arrests of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael Zambada, founders of the Sinaloa cartel, who are both serving prison sentences in the United States.

Mexican newspapers El Universal and Reforma, along with television network Televisa, reported that Oseguera was killed during a military operation.

Prior to the incident, armed men set vehicles on fire and blocked major roads in Jalisco, with violence also spreading to neighbouring Michoacán, where the cartel maintains operations.

The CJNG, founded in 2009, has grown into a major drug trafficking organisation, accused by U.S. authorities of smuggling cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the United States.

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Further confirmation from the Mexican government is expected in the coming days as authorities investigate the operation and its implications for organised crime in the region.