In a bold operation, Mexican military forces seized rocket launchers capable of downing aircraft during the raid that resulted in the death of the infamous Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader, “El Mencho.”
During this dramatic encounter, special forces also confiscated armored vehicles and military-grade weapons, equipment typically reserved for war zones rather than police actions. This occurred as drug lord Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes met his end and the popular tourist destination, Puerto Vallarta, came under heavy attack.
The operation, which took place on Sunday, had support from both the Mexican Air Force and the National Guard, as reported by Fox News.
While the mission was chiefly managed by the Mexican military, a task force led by the US military, known for its expertise in intelligence gathering, contributed to the demise of “El Mencho,” according to Reuters.
A detailed dossier containing intelligence from the US was provided to the Mexican authorities prior to the operation in Tapalpa. “El Mencho” was high on the list of targets for the United States.
The seizure of the rocket launchers comes more than a decade after the cartel infamously used a rocket-propelled grenade to bring down a Mexican military helicopter.
The weapons had previously been seized from the CJNG cartel. In June 2023, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, the then-Mexican defense secretary, said five rocket launchers were found to be in the possession of the CJNG.
Ex-cop and cartel mastermind “El Mencho” was injured during a shootout when Mexican special forces tried to capture him in Tapalpa. Security forces were injured in the shootout.Â
“El Mencho” was notorious for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the US and a reward of up to $15 million was available for information leading to the drug lord’s arrest.
The Trump administration declared the CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization
Narco gangs went on a rampage after news of El Mencho’s death circulated. Cartel henchmen blockaded highways with roadblocks, set cars ablaze and torched businesses as part of their retaliation over the crime boss’s death.
Tourists in Puerto Vallarta were warned to stay indoors, and assaults in Michoacan, Tamaulipas, Colima, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes, and Veracruz were launched, according to local media.
“It looked like the whole city was on fire,” Scott Posilkin – who is from Colorado but stranded in Puerto Vallarta – told The Post.
Travis Dagenais compared the scene in Puerto Vallarta to a “demolition zone,” as reported by CNN.
A woman, known only as Priscilla, said she saw several cartel members set cars on fire in Tepic,
Shelter-in-place orders meant she couldn’t reach her son — who was around 20 minutes from her hotel as he was at his cousin’s house.
Major airlines, including United Airlines, American, and Air Canada suspended flights into Puerto Vallarta. Most flights into Guadalajara – Jalisco’s state capital and Mexico’s second-largest city – were suspended Sunday.
Video obtained by The Post showed travelers running in horror at Guadalajara airport.Â
There could now be a power vacuum at the top of the cartel’s ranks, as it’s not clear who could succeed “El Mencho.”
“El Mencho controlled everything, he was like a country’s dictator,” Mike Vigil, the former chief of international operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration, said.
David Saucedo, a top security analyst, feared the cartel group could turn to what he described as “indiscriminate violence.”
With Post wires.
