Mexico’s most wanted man and the leader of the feared Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) drug cartel has been killed by the army in a security operation, the country’s defence ministry has said.
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho”, was killed during a military operation carried out at dawn on Sunday in the town of Tapalpa, in the central-western state of Jalisco.
The defence ministry said several CJNG members were killed during the operation, while El Mencho was seriously wounded. He died while being transferred by air to Mexico City, it said.
CJNG has spread from its original power base in Jalisco to have an almost nationwide presence across Mexico.
In its statement, the defence ministry also said that several armoured vehicles and weapons – including rocket launchers – were seized during the operation.
It added that three members of the military were wounded during the incident and taken to hospital in Mexico City for emergency treatment.
Throughout Sunday, there were reports of cars being set on fire and sightings of gunmen on the streets in Jalisco and elsewhere.
The governor of Jalisco, Pablo Lemus Navarro, on social media advised residents of the state to adhere to a code red warning and avoid leaving their homes.
The US State Department also issued a shelter-in-place warning for US citizens in Jalisco State, Tamaulipas State, and areas of Michoacan State, Guerrero State, and Nuevo Leon State.
The Mexican defence ministry said the US had supplied Mexico with information that assisted its operation.
Former US ambassador to Mexico and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on social media that El Mencho’s death was “a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world”.
The US had previously offered a $15m (£11.1m) reward for information leading to El Mencho’s capture.
By BBC News
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