Killing of Mexican drug cartel boss ‘El Mencho’ sparks wave of violence

Killing of Mexican drug cartel boss ‘El Mencho’ sparks wave of violence Schools close and flights suspended after military raid killed Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes Who was El Mencho, the former police officer who co-founded an ultraviolent cartel in Mexico? Whole areas of western Mexico have been all but shut down after a surge in cartel violence sparked by a military raid that killed one of the world’s most wanted drug traffickers, known as “El Mencho”. Schools were closed in several Mexican states, and foreign governments warned their citizens to stay inside after the drug lord, whose real name is Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes , was declared dead on Sunday . The 59-year-old cartel leader was killed during a shootout after the Mexican military attempted to capture him in a raid supported by intelligence from Washington. The US has been pushing its southern neighbour to take more aggressive action against groups trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine. The operation immediately set off a wave of violence, with gunmen blocking major roads, torching cars and buses and fighting with government forces. There were attacks in 20 of Mexico’s 31 states, according to officials. La Jornada, a Mexican newspaper, reported that at least 26 people had been killed in the unrest, which was centred in the western state of Jalisco, including a pregnant woman reportedly caught in a shootout between troops and cartel fighters. The newspaper said the victims included 17 members of the state and federal security forces and eight members of El Mencho’s syndicate, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel , which has become Mexico’s most powerful and notorious criminal organisation . As the chaos spread, the Jalisco governor, Pablo Lemus Navarro, urged the state’s 8 million citizens to stay at home. Lemus said public transport services were being suspended. Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state and Mexico’s second-largest city, was almost c...