# Mexico deploys thousands of troops after El Mencho death triggers violence
Event date: 2026-02-23
The Mexican government has sent thousands of additional troops to western Mexico after the death in custody of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mencho, set off a wave of cartel violence across the country. Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said on the event date that 2,500 more soldiers had been sent to the region, bringing the total deployment to about 9,500 troops since Sunday. The violence has spread to at least 20 states, and the security minister said at least 25 members of Mexico's National Guard have died in Jalisco state since the unrest began.
El Mencho's death followed his capture by Mexican special forces in Jalisco state. Trevilla said forces tracked down a romantic partner he was meeting, then detained the cartel leader after a firefight with his bodyguards. The defense ministry said he was seriously injured in the clash and died while being transported from Tapalpa to Mexico City. Officials also said at least six of his security guards were killed in the operation and three members of the Mexican military were injured. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, is one of the country's most feared criminal groups and El Mencho had been Mexico's most wanted man.
The violence that followed was widespread and highly visible. Cartel members blocked roads by throwing spikes and nails onto the tarmac, commandeered buses and other vehicles and set them on fire in the middle of the road. BBC reporting also says dozens of banks and local businesses were damaged after being set alight. In Puerto Vallarta, authenticated video showed tourists watching from a pool as a military helicopter flew low over the hotel and smoke rose from buildings nearby. Local authorities told residents in some towns to stay inside while streets emptied and roadblocks were cleared by Monday morning.
The security minister, Omar Garcia Harfuch, said a prison guard, a state prosecutor's office employee and 30 members of El Mencho's organization had been killed in the unrest since his death, according to AFP. The BBC report also says more than 20 states saw unrest. The government is trying to show control while also emphasizing that the operation that killed El Mencho was a success. President Claudia Sheinbaum praised the army's role and said her priority was to guarantee peace and security. The BBC report says she also stressed that there is calm, government and armed forces coordination in place.
The United States had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to El Mencho's capture, but Mexico confirmed there was no US military role in his killing. That clarification is part of the broader political context around the operation, which officials say relied on Mexican forces supported by the National Guard and Air Force, plus complementary information from the United States. For now, the immediate reality is that one cartel leader's death has triggered a security crisis large enough to bring thousands more soldiers onto the streets and leave at least 25 National Guard members dead in Jalisco alone.
