Mexico deployed 9,500 soldiers since Sunday to quell violence from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel after leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, died in custody.
This followed his capture by special forces in Jalisco. Defence Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said 2,500 more troops arrived in western areas on Monday.
El Mencho, Mexico’s top fugitive, built a drug empire fuelling the U.S. opioid crisis. Troops tracked him to a Tapalpa meet-up. A gunfight wounded him fatally en route to Mexico City. Six bodyguards died; three soldiers were hurt.
CJNG hit back across 20 states, torching vehicles and businesses, strewing road spikes. It killed 25 National Guard in Jalisco, plus others including a prison guard and 30 cartel members, Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch said.
President Claudia Sheinbaum lauded the raid. “There is calm, there is government, there are armed forces, and there is a lot of co-ordination,” Sheinbaum said. Barricades cleared by Monday, but damage lingered.
BBC Verify confirmed videos: Puerto Vallarta tourists saw helicopters amid fires; San Isidro clashes showed shootings and bodies near a ramming truck.
The CJNG extorts and murders widely since 2010. U.S. intelligence aided the raid—no Americans involved. Experts warn of family power struggles ahead.