Mexican Forces Shoot Dead Wanted US Drug Cartel Leader El Mencho

Mexican authorities on Sunday confirmed that the country's army had shot dead an influential drug cartel leader and was among the most wanted fugitives in Mexico and the United States.

Nemesio Oseguera, 59, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was wounded in a clash with soldiers in the town of Tapalpa and died while being flown to Mexico City, the military said in a statement.

Oseguera is known to have a bounty of 15 million US dollars.

Oseguera, nicknamed "El Mencho," is one of the largest Mexican drug suspects arrested since the arrest of the founders of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman and Ismael Zambada. Both are now serving sentences in the United States.

Sunday's statement said that in addition to Mexican military intelligence, the raids were carried out with "additional information" from US authorities, as reported by Al Arabiya from AFP (23/2).

The statement also said that in addition to Osegura, six suspected cartel members were killed, while three soldiers were injured.

"Two cartel suspects were arrested and various weapons were seized, including a rocket launcher capable of bringing down aircraft and destroying armored vehicles," the statement said.

Previously, gunmen burned cars and trucks in the western state of Jalisco, blocking roads in response to security operations taking place in the region.

This technique is used to thwart police efforts to move towards high-value targets.

The violence spread to neighboring Michoacan State, where the Oseguera cartel also has a presence.

El Mencho founded his cartel in 2009 and became one of Mexico's most violent drug trafficking organizations, according to the US Justice Department.

The United States has classified the Jalisco cartel as a terrorist organization and accused it of sending cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the United States.

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau welcomed the operation and called Oseguera "one of the most ruthless and vicious drug lords."

"This is a big development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world. Good people are stronger than bad people," he added.

The raid comes amid pressure from US President Donald Trump for Mexico to stop the flow of drugs, particularly fentanyl, into the United States.

President Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican exports, arguing that President Claudia Sheinbaum's government has not done enough to combat drug trafficking.