One of Mexico ’s most infamous drug lords, Nemisio Oseguera, or more famously ‘El Mencho’, was killed in a U.S.-backed military raid, which has sparked widespread retaliatory violence.
Amid these ongoing clashes in Mexico, India has also issued an advisory for all Indian nationals in Mexico. Indian nationals in the country have been advised to seek shelter and avoid large crowds.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has been facing escalating pressure from the United States to increase her crackdown on drug cartels that are blamed for producing and smuggling drugs across the border to the U.S., most notably, a synthetic opioid, fentanyl.
Reuters reported that a new U.S.-military-led task force participated in the raid led and carried out by Mexican forces. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made a post on social media that the U.S. aided Mexico by providing intelligence support.
She added that the Trump administration “commends and thanks the Mexican military for their cooperation and successful execution of this operation.”
Retaliatory Violence
Oseguera, the mastermind behind the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), died in custody after he was injured during the military operation conducted by the Mexican special forces. The raid occurred in the town of Tapalpa in Jalisco state, according to Mexico’s defence ministry.
Leaders of the rival Sinaloa Cartel—Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman and Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada—were captured alive. They are currently detained in U.S. prisons.
A heavily guarded convoy of National Guard troops delivered his corpse to Mexico City on Sunday.
After the report of El Mencho ’s death was released, cartel members have blockaded highways, burned cars and buses and torched local businesses in more than half a dozen states. No civilian deaths have been reported.
While the Trump administration has lauded the military operation, violent retaliatory measures from cartels highlighted the fine line that Sheinbaum must tread as the government escalates their cartel crackdown.
Security experts have expressed concerns that the death of the cartel boss could fracture leadership and trigger infighting.
“There will definitely be skirmishes between the various factions, and these spasms of violence could last for years,” said Carlos Olivo, a former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration assistant special agent in charge and an expert in CJNG.
Police Officer To Drug Lord
Oseguera was a former police officer who established and oversaw the rise of the CJNG, named after the state of Jalisco, which is home to Guadalajara. CJNG, recently, has expanded exponentially and become one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels, infamous for violent tactics that include forced labour and forced recruitment.
El Mencho was also responsible for diversifying CJNG’s criminal enterprise, expanding from drug trafficking to extortion, human trafficking, fuel theft and financial fraud. The cartel also pioneered the use of drone attacks on civilians as part of their territorial expansion.
(with inputs from Reuters)
