US Intel Aided Mexican Special Forces In “El Mencho” Kill As Spillover Risks Rise

The Sunday killing of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), by Mexican security forces unleashed coordinated cartel retaliation attacks, driving rapid instability across Guadalajara (Jalisco’s capital) and spilling into high-traffic resort areas, including Puerto Vallarta.

CNN reported that the US provided intelligence support to Mexican Army Special Forces, aided by aircraft and the National Guard’s Immediate Reaction Force, during the operation to capture Oseguera. The operation, however, devolved into a fierce firefight with CJNG operatives and El Mencho that ultimately resulted in his death.

Almost immediately after El Mencho’s death, Guadalajara, Mexico’s third-largest city and the capital of Jalisco State, plunged into instant chaos as CJNG foot soldiers sparked narco-terrorism operations.

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Puerto Vallarta, is one of Mexico’s top tourist destinations, welcoming a record-breaking 6.3 million visitors last year.

Today, it’s a war zone following the take out of the Mexican CJNG cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes by the military, reportedly assisted by… pic.twitter.com/Ib7P6XzD8z

— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) February 22, 2026

This violence spread into popular beach resort towns across Mexico, as gunmen torched retail shops, gas stations, and vehicles, and blockaded highways.

Update: Fighting between Mexican military forces and Narco Terrorist Cartels after major Drug Overlord killed in joint operation with the United States. All Americans across Mexico are ordered to shelter in place. Major battles are being fought everywhere as Soldiers and Police… pic.twitter.com/nQySP7opgC

— US Homeland Security News (@defense_civil25) February 22, 2026

The popular tourist town of Puerto Vallarta was partially set on fire as American visitors watched in horror. The US Embassy issued a “shelter in place” order for the region, and airlines canceled flights to Guadalajara’s international airport amid the chaos.

En la zona turística de Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, se observan columnas de humo derivadas de los bloqueos y ataques perpetrados por el Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación, luego del abatimiento de Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho”. pic.twitter.com/sQToLtl0Ev

— Raúl Brindis (@raulbrindis) February 22, 2026

pic.twitter.com/2SPKp6ejq2

— Nat (@Nurive87) February 22, 2026

This military operation in the state of Jalisco casts a negative light on the region, which is scheduled to host four matches of the 2026 soccer World Cup in June.

Jalisco is one of the Last Strongholds of the Mexican Opposition and a Center of Power for Several Criminal Groups pic.twitter.com/OkCirVsL0O

— ✦✦✦ ð™¿ðšŠðš–ðš™ðš‘ðš•ðšŽðšðšœ ✦✦✦ (@PamphletsY) February 22, 2026

A key question is whether CJNG can survive. Its future depends on how quickly it appoints a successor; if not, the cartel may fragment as internal power struggles begin.

Two questions:

• The first question concerns CJNG’s survivability. It will hinge on how quickly the group can appoint a successor; if it fails to do so, the cartel could splinter as internal power struggles intensify.

• A second question is whether Mexico’s military can sustain a multi-front fight, as it now faces both CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel.

“This is undoubtedly the most important blow that has been dealt to drug trafficking in Mexico since drug trafficking existed in Mexico,” Eduardo Guerrero, a former Mexican security official and cartel expert, told the New York Times.

“Never in Mexico has there been an organization with the presence, territorial control or political penetration that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel has,” Guerrero added. “The cartels we had in Mexico were more regional in nature.”

On Sunday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X that the US provided “support to the Mexican government” to assist in the operation against CJNG.

“Last year, President Trump rightfully designated the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, because that’s exactly what it is. In this operation, three additional cartel members were killed, three were wounded, and two were arrested,” Leavitt said.

She noted, “President Trump has been very clear: the United States will ensure narcoterrorists sending deadly drugs to our homeland are forced to face the wrath of justice they have long deserved.”

The United States provided intelligence support to the Mexican government in order to assist with an operation in Talpalpa, Jalisco, Mexico, in which Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, an infamous drug lord and leader within the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was eliminated.… https://t.co/iKxsAMmnLN

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) February 23, 2026

El Mencho’s death could elevate near-term spillover risks into the U.S., especially given the Biden-Harris regime’s years of facilitating an illegal alien invasion on the Homeland.

A reminder that a vast majority of the millions who crossed the border illegally during the Biden administration were lining the pockets of cartels like CJNG, paying thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of $ per head to be smuggled into the Unites States. Color coded cartel… pic.twitter.com/fJiw8hgtSE

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 22, 2026

The Trump administration has sought to address the national-security fallout by ramping up deportation operations, but legal challenges from unhinged left-wing judges have complicated efforts.