El Mencho’s killing won’t solve Mexico’s cartel problem – or anything else

OPINION OPINION, Opinion | Drugs El Mencho’s killing won’t solve Mexico’s cartel problem – or anything else The killings of other cartel kingpins have done little to stem the production and flow of drugs towards the US. Listen to this article | 6 mins By Belén Fernández Al Jazeera columnist. Published On 23 Feb 2026 23 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media Share Save On Sunday, Mexican security forces killed 59-year-old Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho”, the leader of the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel , based in western Mexico’s Jalisco state. The Mexican defence ministry acknowledged that the lethal operation had been conducted with “complementary information” from the United States, whose “peacemaker” president, Donald Trump, has repeatedly threatened to attack Mexico to combat the drug cartels. Mind you, these are organisations that owe their very existence to US policy and drug consumption in the first place. US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau greeted the news of El Mencho’s death with glee, taking to X to proclaim : “This is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world.” And yet things aren’t looking quite so “great” thus far. As anyone who has ever paid remote attention to global affairs might have predicted, violence has broken out across several Mexican states in the aftermath of the killing – which is generally what happens when you take out a cartel kingpin. Gunmen have torched vehicles and blocked highways in various locales while various US media have reported sensationally on the plight of American tourists “stranded” in Mexican resort cities on account of the upheaval. Shortly after his initial enthusiastic post, Landau returned to X with a “PS, I’m watching the scenes of violence from Mexico with great sadness and concern.” But no matter: “We must never lose our nerve.” Advertisement The deputy secretary of state ended his “PS” with some words of encouragement in Spanish for the M...