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Protected by an army, failed by a critical tip from girlfriend: Mexican drug lord El Mencho's deadly end
Protected by an army-like security escort, Mexican drug lord ‘El Mencho’ died in an operation that followed a critical tip from one of his girlfriends.
Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, nicknamed ‘El Mencho’, carrying a reward of $15 million, was hunted down in a massive operation involving Mexico's authorities after a critical tip off from one of his romantic partners - information that reportedly helped officials quickly plan the raid.
Backed by a security escort that defied state forces before, Mencho - head of the infamous Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) - and his army of gunmen managed to hit a military helicopter on Sunday during the intense exchange of fire when National Guard's Special Immediate Reaction Force went to nab him. The chopper had to make an emergency landing in a nearby base.
In the midst of the gunfight, the soldiers wounded Oseguera alongside two of his escorts.
Oseguera died in a helicopter after being injured in the military operation by Mexican special forces in a wooded area outside the town of Tapalpa in the western state of Jalisco, according to Mexico's defence ministry.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel of Oseguera, Mexico's most-wanted cartel leader, was the mastermind of the powerful, was rival to the also infamous Sinaloa Cartel. The US had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Girlfriend's critical tip
A girlfriend of Nemesio Oseguera, the powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel who was killed by the Mexican military, was key to finding him in Tapalpa, a picturesque village of vacation homes in western Mexico, according to defence minister Ricardo Trevilla.
Information from a confidante of one of Oseguera's girlfriend helped officials quickly plan the raid for the following day at the drug lord's compound.
Mexican defence secretary Ricardo Trevilla said at a press conference on Monday that the woman, "one of the romantic partners of 'El Mencho,'" was brought to a house in Tapalpa by a trusted associate, according to AFP news agency.
On Saturday, she met with Oseguera and then left, leaving Oseguera in the house with his security detail, Trevilla explained.
The National Guard's Special Immediate Reaction Force swiftly chalked out an operation for the assault on Sunday with both land and air maneuvers.
The force approached the area without entering Jalisco "to keep the secret and thus retain the element of surprise," Trevilla said.
Once they confirmed the presence of Oseguera, who was wanted for organized crime and weapons possession, they decided to raid the ranch.
"Honestly, it was a pretty violent attack," AFP quoted Trevilla as saying, specifying that Oseguera was nabbed in possession of an arsenal that included assault weapons and two rocket launchers.
The kingpin's security escorts had used these types of bazookas before against forces. In 2015 they reportedly shot down a military helicopter, helping the drug trafficker evade capture.
"El Mencho" didn't have the same luck Sunday. As they fled, he and his close circle of guards took cover in a forested area surrounding a complex of cabins.
He was surrounded by the soldiers again, who found him hiding in the undergrowth, the head of the military explained.
At least 62 people died in the early Sunday raid on Oseguera, including 25 members of the National Guard military police and 34 suspected gang members - as cartel loyalists set cars ablaze in 85 roadblocks in more than a dozen states, according to authorities cited in a Reuters report.
President Claudia Sheinbaum early on Monday said the situation was normalising and roadblocks were under control.
Still, Mexico beefed up security in Jalisco, the stronghold of Oseguera's infamous Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), with the deployment of 2,000 troops, and Mexicans as well as tourists in the state's famed coastal towns fretted over the quick spread of violence to far corners of Mexico.
The two others were being airlifted to a hospital in Guadalajara along with Mencho also died en route, Trevilla said.
The bodies were then transported by airplane to Mexico City and handed over to the General Prosecutor's Office. Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch said that Osegeura's remains would be handed over to his family.
It is not yet known where he will be buried.
Washington has classified CJNG as a terrorist organization and accuses it of sending cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the United States.
