US Intelligence Played Key Role in Operation That Killed Mexican Cartel Leader

By Staff, Agencies

Mexican authorities have confirmed that Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho, the longtime head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel [CJNG], died from injuries sustained during a targeted operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco, on Sunday. The cartel has since launched reprisal attacks across multiple states.

Mexican officials reported that US intelligence provided “complementary” information that aided the operation, which targeted one of the country’s most powerful and notorious traffickers of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamines. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on X that the US had helped locate a “top target” for both governments.

Mexican Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla Trejo stated that military intelligence tracked Cervantes through an associate of his romantic partner. Media outlets, including Reuters and The New York Times, reported that the CIA, working through the Pentagon-led Joint Interagency Task Force Counter Cartel [JITF-CC], provided “instrumental” intelligence. The JITF-CC, launched last month, reportedly applies US counterinsurgency tactics from the Middle East to combat organized crime in Mexico.

Sources credited CIA Director John Ratcliffe for expanding an anti-cartel program originally initiated under President Joe Biden to recruit informants on the ground. A former US official told Reuters that Mexico received a “detailed target package” on El Mencho.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has urged Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to intensify anti-drug operations, warning of potential U.S. intervention if necessary.

Following Cervantes’ death, CJNG members engaged in armed clashes with security forces in Jalisco, Michoacán, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Colima, and Oaxaca. Airports in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara experienced operational disruptions due to threats of violence.

Founded in 2009, the CJNG is considered one of Mexico’s most affluent and violent cartels. Its forces are reportedly highly trained, with some members having gained combat experience in Ukraine, including drone operations.