Drug cartels

Mexican officials believe Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes had become largely estranged from his wife and maintained relationships with several lovers, including the woman who unwittingly led authorities to him. Officials are yet to identify her.

According to testimony from one of his former bodyguards, El Sapo is considered to be the most violent member of El Mencho's inner circle and was one of the CJNG leader's most trusted men until his death on Feb. 22.

On Feb. 22, Nemeso Oseguera Cervantes's death triggered unrest in more than a dozen states across Mexico, as cartel cells responded with blockades and violence. A week after his death, official records are shedding light on how the operation unfolded.

The arrest of El Congo marks the first new development since January, when Mexican media reported that one of Manzo's employees in the Uruapan city government played a key role in facilitating the mayor's killing.

On Feb. 26, the U.S. Department of State announced a reward of up to $5 million each for information leading to the arrests of René Arzate García, known as "La Rana," and his brother Alfonso Arzate García, known as "Aquiles."

"Without structural efforts to combat corruption," added investigative journalist Antonio Nieto, "there will be no evident change for ordinary people"

Roadblocks, killings, carjackings and arson attacks on businesses have been among the most frequent crimes carried out by cartel associates in more than 20 states since the killing of Jalisco Cartel leader El Mencho.

Those taken by the National Guard to El Altiplano were identified as Andrés "N" and Genaro "N," described as suspected members of El Mencho's security personnel. Both appeared remotely before a judge.

A handwritten version of Psalm 91 was found inside the luxury cabin where Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," was located and fatally wounded during a military operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco.

The weight of the operation carries broader consequences, including renewed scrutiny of the security policy under President Claudia Sheinbaum and her willingness to meet the demands of President Donald Trump.

As reported by Mexican media, the escape occurred Feb. 22, the same day as the operation to capture El Mencho when armed groups stormed the prison and rammed the main gate with a vehicle.

Álvarez González and his network of shell companies flourished between 2018 and 2024, during the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. During that period, he established 45% of the companies he allegedly used to launder money for the Jalisco cartel.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday that her legal team is reviewing whether to pursue action against Elon Musk after the billionaire suggested on X that she responds to "her cartel bosses."

Ballads associated with Mexico's narcoculture, popularly known as corridos, are signaling a potential leadership transition within the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) after the killing of leader "El Mencho" on Sunday.

Republican Senator Bernie Moreno publicly called on the Mexican government to request U.S. military assistance after the killing of cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho."

Mexico's top security official, Omar García Harfuch, confirmed El Mencho's death and said the operation triggered reprisals by the cartel in 11 states, including 85 highway blockades and 70 arrests.

Mexico's military killed Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," the longtime leader of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), during an operation of the Mexican Army on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.

OFAC sanctioned a timeshare fraud network led by the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), which the cartel used to make automated calls to lure potential buyers to sales presentations and later defraud them.

A famous preparatory boarding school known for its elite sports programs agreed to pay almost $2 million to settle a potential liability lawsuit after allowing two students with alleged ties to a Mexican cartel to attend the institution.

The Navy SEALs visit comes at the invitation of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has publicly emphasized her goal of better preparing Mexican military and law enforcement personnel to combat drug cartel violence.

A Mexican judge formally charged the mayor of Tequila, Diego Rivera Navarro on accusations of organized crime and the 2021 kidnapping of two mayoral candidates.

An internal federal memo based on FBI intelligence warns that leaders of a Mexican drug cartel have directed members to shoot at U.S. Border Patrol agents from across the border.

The camps appear to be part of the infrastructure used by organized crime, adding weight to the idea that the workers' disappearance is tied to drug trafficking violence in Sinaloa.

Diego Rivera Navarro took office in October 2024 after running as a candidate for Morena, Mexico's ruling party and the same party as President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has repeatedly denied that members of her party have ties to organized crime.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is unlikely to fully take on drug cartels in the country because many members of her party, Morena, are facing allegations of having ties with organized crime themselves.

D'amaso López Serrano was once an influential figure within the Sinaloa cartel due to his father, Dámaso López Núñez, who for years served as the right-hand man of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.

According to testimony from Damaris Osorio, cousin of Pablo Osorio Sánchez, a 26-year-old civil engineer, he was at a bus stop along the Durango-Mazatlán highway waiting for transportation to the Concordia area when he was kidnapped.

Deputies Elizabeth Montoya and Sergio Torres were traveling in a vehicle accompanied by two bodyguards on Jan. 28 when they were attacked by a group of armed civilians.

The deployment comes just days after two local lawmakers from the Movimiento Ciudadano party were injured Jan. 28 in an armed attack in Culiacán. The shooting left three people wounded.

The increasing influence of drug cartels in Mexico made 2025 a very violent year, according to a recent investigation by a civil society organization that documented thousands of cases involving crimes of extreme violence across the country.