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Surveillance of a romantic partner helped put the Mexican armed forces on the trail of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes,\u00a0the notorious leader\u00a0of the\u00a0Jalisco New Generation Cartel\u00a0known as \u201cEl Mencho,\u201d who was captured and killed Sunday, Mexican authorities said Monday.<\/p>\n
Mexican Defense Secretary Gen. Ricardo Trevilla said that Sunday\u2019s Mexican special forces operation, which included U.S. intelligence information, ended when special forces found Oseguera Cervantes \u201chidden in the undergrowth\u201d in his home state of Jalisco. After several shootouts, eight gunmen were killed and the drug lord and two of his bodyguards were wounded. They were taken into custody and died on the way to Mexico City, Trevilla said.<\/p>\n
In all,\u00a0more than 70 people were killed in the operation and the ensuing violence,\u00a0including security forces, suspected cartel members and others.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how the capture of the country\u2019s most powerful cartel leader and one of the United States\u2019 most wanted fugitives unfolded, according to Mexican authorities:<\/p>\n
Both Mexico and the United States had spent years tracking \u201cEl Mencho,\u201d who faced numerous outstanding arrest warrants for organized crime and drug trafficking in both countries.<\/p>\n
This time, however, the intelligence efforts proved successful. Trevilla noted that military investigators identified and began following a trusted associate of one of Oseguera Cervantes\u2019 romantic partners. This individual escorted the woman to Tapalpa, Jalisco, on Friday for a meeting with the drug lord. The military official explained that the exact location was confirmed by \u201cvery important additional information\u201d provided by U.S. intelligence.<\/p>\n
Once the woman left after spending the night with \u201cEl Mencho,\u201d special forces finalized their plans, having confirmed he was staying in the area with a security detail.<\/p>\n
Units from the Mexican army and the National Guard established a ground cordon, while six helicopters and additional special forces stood by in states bordering Jalisco.<\/p>\n
The Mexican Air Force provided further support with reconnaissance and aircraft, Trevilla said. In the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, after his presence was confirmed, the operation began. Throughout the mission, Mexican\u00a0President Claudia Sheinbaum\u00a0was kept informed of every development while on a tour in northern Mexico.<\/p>\n
Gen. Trevilla described the criminals\u2019 response as extremely violent.<\/p>\n
During the confrontation, he said \u201cEl Mencho\u201d attempted to flee with two bodyguards while a heavily armed group remained behind to stall the military advance. The death toll at the scene reached eight, which Trevilla noted was four more than initially reported on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Among the seized weaponry were two rocket launchers, including one identical to the model used by the CJNG in\u00a02015 to down a military helicopter.\u00a0That 2015 attack served as a grim milestone, proving the cartel was prepared to meet the Mexican authorities with lethal, full-scale force.<\/p>\n
Oseguera Cervantes attempted to take cover in a wooded area dotted with cabins on the outskirts of Tapalpa. Although the criminals were heavily armed with rocket launchers, Trevilla noted that they did not manage to deploy them. Special forces eventually \u201clocated him hiding in the undergrowth,\u201d triggering another intense confrontation that left \u201cEl Mencho\u201d and two of his bodyguards wounded.<\/p>\n
During the chaos, a military helicopter was forced into an emergency landing after being struck by gunfire, and two individuals were apprehended at the scene. Three soldiers were injured in the engagement.<\/p>\n
Once the scene was secured, the cartel leader and his bodyguards were loaded onto a helicopter for emergency transport to a nearby hospital. However, Trevilla confirmed they died en route, noting they were already in \u201ccritical condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following their deaths, the flight plan was redirected. Instead of landing in the Jalisco state capital, the bodies were flown to Mexico City to preempt any violent retaliation from the criminal organization.<\/p>\n
About 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Tapalpa, a logistics and financial operator known only as \u201cEl Tuli\u201d reportedly offered gunmen a bounty of 20,000 pesos \u2014 over $1,000 \u2014 for every soldier killed, said Trevilla.<\/p>\n
The defense minister also said \u201cEl Tuli\u201d \u2014 allegedly Oseguera\u2019s right-hand man \u2014 was the mastermind of a series of roadblocks, arson attacks and hits on government installations across Jalisco state.<\/p>\n
Security Secretary Omar Garc\u00eda Harfuch\u00a0said that the most severe violence occurred in Jalisco, where 25 National Guard members, a prison official, a prosecutor\u2019s office employee and a presumed civilian woman were killed, along with 30 suspected criminals.<\/p>\n
In neighboring Michoac\u00e1n, four more gunmen died while 15 security personnel were wounded.<\/p>\n
A paratrooper rifle brigade tracked down \u201cEl Tuli\u201d and killed him in a shootout, seizing long and short firearms alongside nearly $1.4 million in mixed U.S. and Mexican currency. Still, retaliation from the cartel continued in several Mexican states.<\/p>\n
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#Mexico #Mencho #tracking #girlfriend #crucial #U.S #intelligence<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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