The immediate aftermath of the alias El Mencho's killing

A large-scale military operation in the Mexican town of Tapalpa, in the state of Jalisco, resulted in the death of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho", leader of the infamous global criminal organization, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. El Mencho was seriously wounded during the military action and died during air extraction en route to the Mexican capital. He was born in Michoacán, began his criminal career at around 19 years of age in the United States, worked as a police officer in the municipalities of Cabo Corrientes and Tomatlán, respectively—after being deported for the second time—, to finally cement himself in the world of organized crime first as a hitman and then as a kingpin.

Alongside the 59-year-old now deceased drug lord, six other cartel members died, while two were arrested and will be placed at the disposal of the Attorney General's Office. The operation represents a quite interesting signal for analysis from Claudia Sheinbaum's government, in my understanding, directed at the White House; on both sides of the border, it has already been officially acknowledged that there was US support in terms of critical intelligence sharing.

The security strategy of the previous president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum's main backer, was explained through the iconic and controversial phrase "hugs, not bullets", that is, prioritizing transformations in the social context and building consensus over military actions like the one that ended with El Mencho's death this Sunday. It was an implicit recognition of the shameful and real authorities' incapacity to tame a potential escalation of organized crime in retaliation for certain actions against their structures, especially due to its direct social cost.

In this sense, this summary from the Mexican newspaper Milenio compiles the main consequences up to 10 PM local time of the events in Tapalpa, not a few of which are of international significance. Some 250 roadblocks were counted in around twenty municipalities across Mexico. However, fewer than 30 remained active.

AP, for its part, reports nine deaths among security forces, the highest number in Zapopan (six); there was only one member of the National Guard killed in the operation to capture El Mencho. This week will be very illustrative of how everything that happened yesterday will resonate in the country's security nightmare.

Source for the cover image.