MEXICO CITY, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Mexico’s most-wanted cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, alias “El Mencho,” was captured and killed in a dramatic military raid on Sunday, setting off a wave of retaliatory violence across the country.
Oseguera was the mastermind of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a major fentanyl supplier to the United States.
Here is a timeline of events as detailed by Mexican officials on Monday:
FEBRUARY 20: TRAILING ‘EL MENCHO’
Following a tip-off from a trusted associate of one of Oseguera’s romantic partners, who was unnamed, authorities tracked the romantic partner to a facility in the town of Tapalpa in Jalisco state where Oseguera was staying. Officials have not provided further details on the site.
FEBRUARY 21: PREPARATION FOR RAID
The romantic partner left the facility. Mexican intelligence confirmed that Oseguera remained on-site, protected by his bodyguards.
Mexico’s army, backed by National Guard military police, special forces, military aircraft and six helicopters, were sent to the area in a top-secret operation.
A new U.S.-military-led task force specializing in intelligence collection on drug cartels played a role in the raid, a U.S. defense official told Reuters.
FEBRUARY 22: THE OPERATION
Prepared for a siege, Mexican ground forces encircled the area before dawn. Cartel gunmen opened fire but special forces repelled this attack, leaving eight suspected cartel members dead.
Oseguera and his inner circle fled to a cabin complex in a nearby wooded area. Special forces pursued them into the undergrowth, where a second exchange of gunfire took place.
After taking control of the situation, Mexican security forces found Oseguera and two bodyguards injured. A helicopter was called to dispatch them to a nearby medical facility, but Oseguera died during the flight.
By this time, the operation had triggered widespread violent retaliation by cartel members, and the helicopter was unable to land in the Jalisco state capital Guadalajara. It was diverted to Morelia airport in nearby Michoacan state, and Oseguera’s body was then transferred to a military plane bound for Mexico City.
FEBRUARY 22: THE AFTERMATH
The violence quickly spread.
The defense ministry identified “El Tuli” - allegedly Oseguera’s right-hand man and top financial operator - as the mastermind of a series of roadblocks, arson attacks and hits on government installations across Jalisco state.
According to authorities, “El Tuli” was offering a bounty of 20,000 pesos ($1,100) for the killing of any military personnel.
Security forces located “El Tuli” in El Grullo, a small town some 180 km (110 miles) south-west of Guadalajara. He attempted to flee by car and attacked the unit that tried to arrest him. He was killed in the clash.
Several airlines canceled flights to Puerto Vallarta, a Pacific resort city in Jalisco state, where stunned tourists filmed plumes of smoke rising into the sky.
In some towns, tourists and residents were urged to stay indoors and truckers to take safer routes or return to depots. Across Jalisco and several other states, schools and universities canceled classes.
Some 30 suspected gang members, 25 National Guard troops, and a bystander were killed in the wave of violence that followed the raid, authorities said on Monday. At least 70 people were arrested in seven states, they added, while 85 cartel-linked roadblocks were recorded on Sunday.
FEBRUARY 23: SITUATION STABILIZES
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said at a press conference that as of Monday morning there were no more roadblocks. She said the situation was expected to normalize and that flights were expected to resume on Monday or Tuesday.
Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch said those seen as possible candidates to replace Oseguera as leader of the cartel were under tight surveillance by authorities, and that the state was on the lookout for other possible retaliation from that cartel or from other cartels looking to gain territory.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in a post on social media that Mexico “must step up their effort on Cartels and Drugs!” The U.S. is Mexico’s top trade partner, and the North American free trade pact is up for review this year.
($1 = 17.2571 Mexican pesos)
(Reporting by Natalia Siniawski, Raul Cortes and Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Editing by Sarah Morland and Rosalba O’Brien)
