On February 22, 2026, Mexican Army Special Forces launched a pre-dawn raid on a gated residential compound in Tapalpa, a mountainous municipality in the Western state of Jalisco. Their target was Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, a.k.a. “El Mencho,” the elusive founder and supreme commander of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). At the time, he was Mexico’s most wanted man, with a $15 million U.S. bounty on his head.
Six helicopters provided air cover while ground troops closed a cordon, guided by a multi-year intelligence effort that culminated in the tracking of a trusted associate linked to one of El Mencho’s romantic partners. When his security detail opened fire with high-caliber weapons, two fierce firefights erupted: one at the compound, and a second in the surrounding forest, where El Mencho attempted to flee.
A Mexican Army helicopter, providing aerial support, was hit by CJNG gunfire and forced to make an emergency landing, but none of the soldiers on board were killed. Mexican authorities seized armored vehicles, seven long firearms, and two rocket launchers from the scene (see here and here).
Within hours, the consequences of the operation swept across the country with stunning ferocity. Coordinated narcobloqueos—burning barricades assembled with hijacked buses, cargo trucks, and private vehicles—sprang up across nearly 20 of Mexico’s 32 states. In Guadalajara, the nation’s second-largest city, thick smoke rose over major intersections. Public transport—including bus routes, the Mi Macro Periférico bus system, and the electric rail system—was suspended. Schools closed across Jalisco, and banks were shuttered in several cities. Armed groups torched several Banco del Bienestar branches and more Oxxo convenience stores.
Click here to read the complete, original article by Chiara Redaelli and Carlos Arévalo on Westpoint.edu
Source: Westpoint.edu
