Cole Welsh, Editor

In a pre-dawn raid, Mexican military commandos killed El Mencho, a notorious drug lord and the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

His death kicked off a surge of retaliatory killings and other violent acts across Mexico. In response, many businesses, schools, and airports were closed across the country, leaving some resort town tourists unable to escape.

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as “El Mencho,” built a vast criminal enterprise in the drug underworld.

After founding the criminal syndicate in 2009, El Mencho transformed CJNG into one of Mexico’s most powerful drug cartels. His organization trafficked copious amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl throughout Mexico and into the United States.

Per the US State Department, which previously offered a $15 million bounty on El Mencho, CJNG has also carried out numerous killings targeting Mexican law enforcement, government officials, and even rival cartels.

CJNG also earned a reputation for utilizing military-style tactics to protect their trafficking operations. Armed drones, improved explosive devices, and ambush assaults on security forces are just some of the tools the syndicate has used in recent years.

Using intelligence focusing provided by the United States, the Mexican Army tracked El Mencho to a location in the Pacific coastal state of Jalisco.

On the morning of February 22, Mexican special forces, backed by the National Guard and a slew of aircraft, sealed off the area before the raid. As Mexican military operators approached, cartel gunmen opened fire. Commandos returned fire, killing several suspected cartel henchmen and forcing El Mencho into a nearby wooden cabin complex. After a second gunfight, El Mencho was gravely wounded and ultimately died during an airlift to a local hospital.

According to Politico, this intelligence, which focused on one of El Mencho’s romantic interests, was allegedly provided by a newly created American task force. Seeking to counter cartel operations posing a threat to the United States, the Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel (JIATF-CC) includes representation from the Department of War, law enforcement, and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

America’s involvement in the operation is the latest example of how President Donald Trump has prioritized taking down drug cartels as a key component of his national security policy. Since starting his second term, Trump has repeatedly threatened direct US military action if Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum fails to dismantle the cartels that plague her country.

However, unlike her predecessor, Sheinbaum appears more willing to confront the cartels head-on and even cooperate with her country’s northern neighbor. Recently, Sheinbaum extradited 37 inmates with alleged cartel ties to face prosecution in the United States.

While the rival Sinaloa Cartel may be the largest, CJNG is considered the most dangerous and violent cartel by many Mexican and US officials. Even after the death of its founder, the organization has shown no signs of pulling back from their activities and appears even more emboldened by El Mencho’s death.

Unfortunately, this violence, which is a part of an ongoing asymmetric conflict between the Mexican government and various drug trafficking organizations, is nothing new. As violence continues to plague the Latin American country, it remains to be seen how Mexico, and quite frankly the United States, will respond.