Dead drug boss was one of the main people responsible for sending heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl to the United States
The Mexican Army killed on Sunday (22) Nemesio Oseguera “El Mencho”, founder and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the most powerful drug trafficker in Mexico and for whom the United States offered 15 million dollars (R$78 million).
Oseguera, 59 years old, was injured in a clash with soldiers in the town of Tapalpa, in Jalisco (west). He died shortly afterwards while being transferred by air to Mexico City.
The CJNG reacted violently, blocking highways and burning vehicles in Jalisco – the cartel’s headquarters – and in other states in the country. Cartel cells set fire to commercial establishments and caused terror among the population.
The reaction after the operation highlighted the broad power that the cartel maintains in different regions of Mexico, with a presence in both legal and illegal activities. It also showed its broad structure and mobilization capacity.
The cartel’s brutal response reignited doubts about the future of the criminal organization and the possible scenarios that could open up after this episode. The main questions are addressed below:
1. What is the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and how powerful is it?
The dead drug kingpin was one of the main people responsible for sending heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl to the United States. The slain drug lord was one of the main people responsible for sending heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl to the United States, according to the American government.
“It is certainly one of the most powerful organizations in Mexico in terms of military capacity, recruitment and weapons,” David Mora, an expert at the Crisis Group analysis center, told AFP.
The cartel’s business has expanded to other criminal activities, such as extortion, fuel theft and human trafficking, according to the American Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), crimes that guarantee it a strong income and great economic capacity.
The CJNG was characterized by being “always willing to challenge the Mexican government”, he states.
On several occasions, he released images of his gunmen displaying weapons and armored vehicles, in addition to having attacked the current Secretary of Public Security, Omar García Harfuch, in 2020, when he was head of police in the capital. He was also behind, in November, the assassination of the mayor of Uruapan, Carlos Manzo.
“In their narrative, they are always very willing to challenge and show their operational capacity (…). They do not hesitate to carry out very political attacks, like that of García Harfuch,” said Mora.
2. Why was the reaction so violent in several states in Mexico?
The violent reaction following the operation against Oseguera highlighted the cartel’s power in Mexico. The blockades and burning of stores and establishments also extended to the resort of Puerto Vallarta, the neighboring state of Michoacán and the states of Puebla (center), Sinaloa (northwest), Guanajuato (center) and Guerrero (south).
It is the predominant criminal organization in several states, but in others it is in conflict with other criminal groups.
“What we saw today is precisely a demonstration of where they operate and where they can inflict violence,” said Mora.
In turn, national security analyst Gerardo Rodríguez stated that authorities had “calculated their reaction”; What “wasn’t on the radar was that (the reaction) had a national scope” and that allied cells were activated across the country.
Despite this, Rodríguez highlighted that, with its actions, the cartel was unable to prevent Oseguera from being killed and his body being transferred by authorities to Mexico City.
“In tactical and operational terms, it is a very successful operation by the government of the Republic,” said Rodríguez.
3. What will happen to the cartel without “Mencho” at the front?
Nemesio Oseguera was a criminal leader in the style of Joaquín “Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, imprisoned in the United States. He had a dominant presence in the CJNG and had no clear successors.
According to experts, the CJNG had strengthened after the weakening of the Sinaloa Cartel due to its internal wars.
His eldest son, known as “El Menchito”, was sentenced last year in the United States to life in prison.
Possible scenarios are that the cartel continues to operate without its leader or that it enters into an internal war for command.
In the event of internal conflict, “we would see an increase in homicidal violence,” said security expert David Saucedo.
“By not having a direct succession, a power vacuum is created that opens up the possibility of generating violent rearrangements within the organization”, explained the Crisis Group analyst.
*AFP
