Over the weekend, Mexico’s most feared cartel lost its leader.
Mexican special forces killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mencho, on February 22 in Tapalpa, Jalisco.
He ran the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, and had a $10 million bounty from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
And within hours of his death, parts of the country were on fire.
CRISIS HOTLINE FLOODED: State Department receives hundreds of calls from Americans stranded in Mexico after cartel violence erupts following the killing of drug lord “El Mencho.” https://t.co/nn18oDeUir
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 24, 2026
Cartel gunmen launched coordinated attacks almost immediately. Highways were blocked in roughly 20 Mexican states.
In the beach city of Puerto Vallarta, armed CJNG fighters even stormed a prison and freed 23 inmates tied to the cartel.
That’s a paramilitary response.
🇲🇽 23 prisoners escaped from a jail in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.
The escape occurred after a group of armed criminals opened fire on the facility, right after the death of El Mencho.
Escaped inmates and cartel members turn Puerto Vallarta into a scene of chaos.
Source: El País… https://t.co/k0OOEVZL5m pic.twitter.com/1sy8pbbpVc
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 24, 2026
CJNG pulls in an estimated $40 billion a year from drugs like fentanyl and meth.
Over the past decade, El Mencho built it into Mexico’s most violent cartel, controlling key trafficking routes and surrounding himself with elite protection while living among Guadalajara’s high society.
Reuters reports that U.S. intelligence helped locate El Mencho. But when the dust settled, Mexico stood alone to deal with the fallout.
That didn’t have to be the case.
🇺🇸🇲🇽 Trump called these cartels terrorists a year ago and offered to send troops.
Mexico said they had it handled.
Today CJNG is burning cities, shooting at soldiers, and executing people on camera.
How’s that working out?pic.twitter.com/zxAmyYfqhb https://t.co/fZo0ibXXr0
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 24, 2026
President Donald Trump offered to send U.S. troops to help Mexico fight cartels after formally designating them as terrorist organizations earlier that year.
Mexico rejected the help, killed the kingpin, then watched CJNG burn cities in revenge.
Experts warn this is what happens when you “cut the head off” a cartel without sustained pressure afterward.
Killing the boss creates a power vacuum. Rival factions fight for control. Violence spikes. Innocent people pay the price.
We’ve seen this movie before, and it doesn’t just play out in Mexico. Left unchecked, they’re not going to slow down.
They’ll continue to push their drugs farther north, where they can make more money.
That’s how violence south of the border turns into overdoses and crime here at home.
Some critics warn that U.S. military involvement could violate sovereignty, and point out Mexico has every right to want to manage its own affairs.
Others insist cartel violence is Mexico’s problem, and that America isn’t responsible for policing another country.
But when instability south of the border feeds drug trafficking into American communities, it’s at least a mutual concern.
Mexico lives right next door. Right now, it feels like we’re both sharing a street with a violent, shameless, drug dealing neighbor.
America has increased border security. We lock the door and set the alarm, and we’re making sure we can defend our family if needed.
Across the street in Mexico, they’re in the middle of an armed home invasion.
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