Officials put the overall death toll from the operation and backlash at at least 73.
GUADALAJARA, MEXICO — Mexico’s security chief said Monday that 25 National Guard members were killed in six attacks in Jalisco after the army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a blow that set off roadblocks, fires and a surge of fear across the country.
The killings came as the government tried to show it can hit major criminal groups while keeping order. Officials said at least 73 people died in the effort to capture the cartel boss and in the violent aftermath, a toll that included security forces, suspected cartel members and others whose circumstances were still unclear. The death of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” removes one of Mexico’s most powerful drug traffickers but raises new questions about who will control his network and how the cartel will respond.
Authorities said the violence spread quickly after the operation on Sun., Feb. 22. Burned vehicles and makeshift barricades blocked highways and city streets, and smoke rose from torched cars and trucks. Officials said cartel members set up more than 250 roadblocks across 20 states before they were cleared by Monday. In Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, many streets emptied Sunday night as residents stayed indoors and businesses shut early, with public transportation disrupted in parts of the metro area.
Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said the National Guard deaths were tied to six separate attacks in Jalisco after the cartel leader was killed. Officials did not immediately release the locations of all six attacks or name the victims, and they did not say how many suspects were killed or arrested in those specific assaults. The government’s broader death count included people killed during the attempted capture and during the retaliation, but authorities cautioned that details were still being confirmed and that some deaths remained under investigation.
Mexico’s Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla described the operation that led to Oseguera Cervantes’ death as a targeted effort that ended in a firefight. Trevilla said authorities tracked one of the cartel leader’s romantic partners to a hideout in Tapalpa, a town about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara. He said Oseguera Cervantes and two bodyguards fled into a wooded area and were seriously wounded in a gun battle. They were taken into custody and died while being moved toward Mexico City, Trevilla said, describing a transfer that ended before they could receive further treatment.
Mexico’s Defense Department said troops came under fire during the Tapalpa operation and killed four people at the site. The statement said three more people were wounded and later died, including Oseguera Cervantes, and that two others were arrested. The military said it seized armored vehicles, rocket launchers and other weapons. Three members of the armed forces were wounded and were receiving medical treatment, the department said. The government did not release the names of those arrested or identify the weapons in detail, and it did not say what charges the detainees might face.
Separate violence was reported in other parts of Jalisco as the cartel reacted. A Jalisco state official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly, said one National Guard member died in Tapalpa during the operation and six other National Guard members died in Zapopan, next to Guadalajara. The official also said a jail guard was killed at a lockup in Puerto Vallarta during a prisoner riot and that an agent from the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office was killed in Guadalajara. Authorities said more information would be released as investigators verified the accounts and determined responsibility.
President Claudia Sheinbaum urged calm as schools were canceled in several states on Monday and as local and foreign authorities issued warnings for people to stay indoors in affected areas. Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus said the state was “living through critical hours,” suspended public transportation in some places and told residents to stay home. The U.S. State Department warned U.S. citizens in several Mexican states to remain in safe places during the security operations, and Canada’s embassy in Mexico issued a warning for citizens in Puerto Vallarta and in Jalisco more broadly, according to officials.
For years, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel has grown into one of Mexico’s most feared criminal groups, known for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and other drugs and for carrying out brazen attacks against authorities. In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization, and U.S. officials have accused it of playing a central role in fentanyl production and smuggling. The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to Oseguera Cervantes’ arrest, and U.S. officials have long listed him among their top targets.
The killing also landed in the middle of rising political pressure between Mexico City and Washington over drug trafficking and security cooperation. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the United States provided intelligence support for the operation and called Oseguera Cervantes a top target for both governments. U.S. Ambassador Ron Johnson said late Sunday that Mexico’s armed forces had achieved a major success and that cooperation between the two countries had reached “unprecedented levels” under the leadership of Trump and Sheinbaum.
Analysts said the days ahead could be volatile even after the roadblocks were cleared. David Mora, a Mexico analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the blow to the cartel could open space for rivals to test the group’s control and for internal factions to compete for power. That kind of struggle, he said, can bring more violence as groups move to claim territory, routes and local protection rackets. The government has not said who it believes could succeed Oseguera Cervantes or how it plans to prevent a new fight inside the cartel.
In Guadalajara on Monday, the signs of the weekend’s chaos were still visible. Drivers passed burned-out cars and charred trucks left near roadsides and intersections. Some residents described a city moving carefully, with many people checking routes and closures before leaving home. One woman, speaking near a disrupted transit corridor, said she normally takes public transportation to work but found buses were not running and she had no clear way to cross the city. “I am worried because I don’t know how to get home if something happens,” she said, adding that her family was staying inside because they were afraid to go out.
Federal authorities said all major roadblocks reported across 20 states had been cleared by Monday, but they warned the investigation was still unfolding. Officials have not released a full list of victims, detailed breakdowns of where each death occurred, or a timeline for when prosecutors will provide case files tied to the arrests and seizures. Mexico’s government said it will continue security operations in Jalisco and surrounding regions and will brief the public as more information is verified.
Author note: Last updated February 23, 2026.