The notorious Mexican drug lord, ‘El Mencho,’ leader of the fearsome Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), has been killed in a recent Mexican military raid. For years, Nemesio Oseguera, a 59-year-old ex-police officer, evaded capture despite a $15 million US bounty. His death marks a significant victory against cartels flooding the US with illegal drugs.
Crucially, a new US-military-led task force played a quiet but vital role. Launched last month, the Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel (JITF-CC) specializes in intelligence, mapping intricate drug cartel networks across the US-Mexico border. While the raid was a purely Mexican operation, US officials confirmed JITF-CC provided vital “complementary information” – a detailed dossier on El Mencho.
This task force signals a strategic shift. Brigadier General Maurizio Calabrese, its leader, explains they apply anti-terrorism tactics from groups like al Qaeda to understand and dismantle cartel structures. Cartels operate differently but their networks are equally complex, with hundreds of core members and up to a quarter-million “independent contractors” moving drugs.
El Mencho’s death sparked immediate, violent consequences. The operation triggered retaliatory attacks across several Mexican states, with burning cars blocking highways and tragically claiming 25 National Guard members and a security guard.
This collaborative, intelligence-driven approach signals an intensified, unified front against powerful criminal enterprises.
