After Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, one of Mexico’s top cartel leaders, was assassinated on February 22, 2026, mass violence has been set across the country (Al Jazeera 1). Airlines have cancelled flights to many of the country’s most popular cities and American and Canadian tourists have been warned about possible threats to their safety (Al Jazeera 1). Businesses and schools have closed, and the country is filled with hundreds of roadblocks run by “El Mencho’s” Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Al Jazeera 1).
The conflict and capturing of “El Mencho” began with American intelligence and ended with the Mexican military (Al Jazeera 3). The Northern Military Command in the United States formed a multi-agency task force to start collecting intelligence on “El Mencho” and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Al Jazeera 2). This American task force provided information on the whereabouts of “El Mencho” but most of the credit for his capture lies with the Mexican government (Al Jazeera 2). Four cartel members were killed along with “El Mencho” and two of his bodyguards (Al Jazeera 2).
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum explained in a press conference that the capturing and killing of “El Mencho” was solely a Mexican effort (The Guardian). She stated, “There is something that the US can help us a lot with: stop the trafficking of illegal weapons from the US to Mexico. If they stopped, then these groups wouldn’t have access to this type of high-powered weaponry to carry out their criminal activities.” (The Guardian). Sheinbaum noted that 75% of guns used by cartels come from the United States (The Guardian). “The epicenter of cartel violence is not Mexico, it’s the United States,” she said during an interview with W Radio (The Guardian).
This conflict has brought some concerns regarding the safety of citizens and tourists, especially since the Jalisco State Capital of Guadalajara is among cities set to host the FIFA World Cup this year (Al Jazeera 1). The violence continues as drug cartel members are suspected of murdering five Mexican band members and the police chief in Mexico’s Sinaloa state, Joel Ernesto Soto (BBC News).
Analysts warn that a CJNG leadership succession crisis could trigger internal power struggles and further destabilize Mexico’s security landscape (Council on Foreign Relations). Based on the new guidelines for national security and defense presented by the second Trump administration, the US geopolitical perimeter in the American hemisphere is now regarded in DC as a major priority (Geopolitical Monitor). Experts claim this is depicted in the recent capture of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and the attempt to control Greenland, Panama, Colombia, Cuba and Canada (Geopolitical Monitor). The effects of this conflict on geopolitics will become much clearer as the situation and diplomatic relations progress (Council on Foreign Relations).
References:
Al Jazeera 1: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/2/25/will-mexicos-jalisco-cartels-violent-biz-model-survive-el-menchos-death
Al Jazeera 2: https://www.aljazeera.com/video/inside-story/2026/2/24/how-much-power-do-drug-cartels-have-in-mexico
Al Jazeera 3: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/23/who-was-el-mencho-what-drug-lords-killing-means-for-mexico
U.S. Mexican Embassy: https://mx.usembassy.gov/security-alert-ongoing-security-operations-u-s-mission-mexico-february-22-2026/
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/09/mexican-cartels-guns-come-from-us-sheinbaum-trump
BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-57239682
Council on Foreign Relations: https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/criminal-violence-mexico
Geopolitical Monitor: https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/life-after-mencho-a-shifting-landscape-of-organized-crime-in-mexico/