After decades of eluding capture, Mexico’s most wanted drug lord El Mencho, was found with the help of one of his romantic partners, according to security agents.
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, who had a $15 million bounty on his head, was killed after a massive operation by the Mexican Army on Sunday.
The authorities were able to track down the ruthless boss of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel because of one critical tip-off: that he would be meeting with his girlfriend in a cabin in the woods.
On Friday, Mexican intelligence officers tracked down a man who was close to one of Oseguera’s romantic partners, the New York Times reported.
General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, Mexico's Secretary of National Defence, said that the man took the woman to see Oseguera in a cabin in Tapalpa in Jalisco state, where the cartel is based.
The woman left the cabin the next day, leaving behind Oseguera with his security team.
The Mexican Special Forces then began their preparation for his capture.
A hack of the Mexican government by the Guacamaya Leaks group in October 2022, revealed the identity of Oseguera's alleged new partner after his seperation from his wife Rosalinda González Valencia. A leaked document identified his new partner as Guadalupe Moreno Carrillo. However her association and role in the Jalisco cartel is unknown.
The Mexican Special Forces moved to Tapalpa early on Sunday. Oseguera fled as a shoot-out began between his security team and the soldiers.
Trevilla said that his associates had a "large amount of weaponry". “It was a very violent attack,” he added. Around 8 of the cartel members were reportedly killed in the firing.
The special forces then tracked Oseguera and another one of his teams in the undergrowth of a wooded area. His group also possessed a rocket launcher, which was used in 2015 to shoot down a military helicopter. This time, however, Mexican authorities prevented the use of the weapon, and the associates only managed to damage a nearby helicopter.
The operation ended in a bloody shoot-out with several members of the Jalisco cartel being killed.
Oseguera was declared dead after being wounded in the confrontation along with two of his guards while being transported to a medical centre.
Soon after the news of his death, gunmen took to the streets in about 20 states, setting vehicles on fire and wreaking havoc. 62 people were reported dead.
The operation was a victory. It renewed Mexico’s stance against the country’s violent drug cartels, which imports illicit substances and revived its relations with the US.
Garantizamos la tranquilidad y la paz del pueblo.https://t.co/yYfiUGhe22 pic.twitter.com/aDPtGEV2BD
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) February 23, 2026
However, the aftermath of taking out cartel bosses has often been violence. About 70 people were arrested and 34 suspected cartel members were killed in the chaos that followed. 25 members of the national guard were also killed. One of the victims was a civilian pregnant woman who got caught in a crossfire, Mexican media reported.
Hugo H., alias “El Tuli, El Mencho’s closest operative who was in charge of logistics and finances of the organisation, had begun immediately directing the response after the operation from El Grullo in Jalisco.
Hugo coordinated the fires and the assault on the Mexican military. After the Special Forces located him, he tried to flee. He was also killed in a confrontation after opening fire. The authorities seized from him, weapons, ammunition, a sum of seven million pesos and $1 million in cash.
