Mexico has found itself in a difficult situation, caught between U.S. President Donald Trump and drug cartels, reports the NYT.
Trump urged Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to take decisive action against the cartels. The killing of El Mencho, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, suggests that such a strategy may be effective, but it comes at a serious cost. Sheinbaum led one of the largest operations against drug cartels in the past decade, which resulted in the elimination of the most wanted criminal in the country using intelligence data from the U.S.
“It is unclear whether she intended to go this far. This certainly creates enormous stress for her administration, and the question arises as to how well the Mexican state will be able to cope with the consequences of this operation,” comments Carlos Bravo Regidor, an analyst studying U.S.-Mexico relations.
Like in the myths about the Hydra, removing one head of the cartel can lead to the emergence of many others.
The death of El Mencho has provoked a wave of violent actions, including shootouts, arson, and road blockades across the country. Mexicans anticipate further violence as competing groups attempt to assert their power and confront the government. This is a problem Mexico has faced before.
Local police are conducting operations to capture inmates who were freed in Puerto Vallarta during attacks organized by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) on Sunday.
Puerto Vallarta, a popular resort on the Pacific coast, became one of the locations where CJNG militants blocked roads and set vehicles on fire in response to the elimination of their leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho."
According to sources, during the unrest, assailants rammed prison gates, allowing 23 inmates to escape.
As a result of the operation to capture El Mencho and the ensuing clashes, more than 70 people were killed, including 25 members of the National Guard.
El Mencho was the most wanted criminal in the country. Under his leadership, CJNG became a powerful transnational criminal organization, expanding its operations beyond the state of Jalisco into other regions of Mexico, where it engages in drug production and trafficking.
The organization is known for its brutality and is responsible for numerous attacks on law enforcement and government officials.
The Trump administration characterized El Mencho as a "key target for the governments of Mexico and the U.S. as he is one of the main traffickers of fentanyl into the country," offering a reward of $15 million for information that could lead to his capture.
The drug lord was captured by Mexican forces in the town of Tapalpa, Jalisco, on Sunday. The Mexican Defense Minister reported that the arrest was made possible through surveillance of one of his "romantic partners."
Unfortunately, he died shortly after his arrest from injuries sustained in a shootout with Mexican special forces.
