MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities said Monday that surveillance of romantic partners helped Mexico’s armed forces track Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the notorious Jalisco New Generation drug cartel known as “El Mencho,” who was captured and killed Sunday.
Mexican Defense Minister Gen. Ricardo Trevilla said Sunday’s Mexican special forces operation, which included U.S. intelligence information, ended after special forces found Oceguera Cervantes “hiding in the bushes of his home state of Jalisco.” After several shootouts, eight gunmen were killed and the drug lord and two of his bodyguards were injured. They were detained and died en route to Mexico City, Trevilla said.
In total, more than 70 people were killed in the operation and subsequent violence, including security forces, suspected cartel members and others.
Here’s how the country’s most powerful drug cartel leader and one of America’s most wanted fugitives was captured, according to Mexican authorities:
Follow a romantic partner
Both Mexico and the United States have spent years tracking “El Mencho,” who faces numerous outstanding arrest warrants in both countries for organized crime and drug trafficking.
This time, however, the intelligence effort was successful. Trevilla noted that military investigators discovered and began tracking a trusted associate of one of Oseguera Cervantes’ lovers. On Friday, the man escorted the woman to Tapalpa, Jalisco, to meet with a drug lord. The exact location was confirmed by “very significant additional information” provided by U.S. intelligence, the military official explained.
land and air blockade
After the woman left after spending the night with “El Mencho,” special forces confirmed their plans and confirmed that he remained in the area with a security detail.
The Mexican army and National Guard set up a ground cordon, and six helicopters and other special forces were on standby in states bordering Jalisco.
Trevilla said the Mexican Air Force provided further support with reconnaissance and aircraft. The operation began before dawn on Sunday after his presence was confirmed. Throughout her visit, Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum was kept informed of every development during her trip to northern Mexico.
violent response
General Trevilla said criminals responded with extreme violence.
He said that during the confrontation, “El Mencho” tried to escape with two bodyguards, while a heavily armed group stayed behind to block the army’s advance. The death toll at the scene reached eight, Trevilla noted, four more than initially reported on Sunday.
The weapons seized included two rocket launchers, one of which was the same model used by the CJNG to down a military helicopter in 2015. That 2015 attack was a grim milestone in the cartel’s readiness to confront Mexican authorities with deadly and all-out force.
“Hide in the bushes”
Oseguera Cervantes tried to find cover in a wooded area of huts on the outskirts of Tapalpa. Although criminals are equipped with rocket launchers, Trevilla noted that they have not been successful in deploying them. Special Forces eventually “found him hiding in the bushes,” sparking another violent confrontation that left “El Mencho” and two of his bodyguards injured.
In the chaos, a military helicopter was shot and forced to make an emergency landing. Two people were arrested at the scene. Three soldiers were injured in the fighting.
died on the way
After the scene was secured, the drug cartel leader and his bodyguards were rushed by helicopter and rushed to a nearby hospital. However, Trevilla confirmed that they died on the way, noting that they were in “critical condition”.
After their deaths, the flight plans were changed. The bodies did not land in the Jalisco state capital but were flown to Mexico City to prevent violent reprisals from criminal organizations.
$1,000 per soldier killed
A logistics and financial operator called “El Tuli” about 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Tapalpa is reportedly offering the gunmen a bounty of 20,000 pesos (more than $1,000) for every soldier they kill, Trevilla said.
The defense minister also said “El Tuli” – alleged to be Oceguera’s right-hand man – was the mastermind behind a series of roadblocks, arson attacks and attacks on government facilities in Jalisco state.
Security Minister Omar García Harfouchi said the worst violence occurred in Jalisco state, where 25 members of the National Guard, a prison official, an employee of the prosecutor’s office and a suspected civilian woman were killed, along with 30 suspects.
In neighboring Michoacan state, four more gunmen were killed and 15 security personnel were injured.
A paratrooper rifle brigade located “El Tuli” and killed him in a shootout, seizing long and short rifles and nearly $1.4 million in mixed U.S. and Mexican currency. Still, the cartel’s retaliation continues in several Mexican states.
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