At least 62 dead left the wave of violence in Mexico after the capture of “El Mencho”

The Mexican official stated at a press conference from the National Palace, in Mexico City, that among the fatalities there are 25 subjects from the National Guard, a guard, an agent from the Jalisco Prosecutor’s Office and a civilian woman who was caught between the shootings.

García Harfuch maintained that after the operation to arrest “El Mencho” in the state of Jalisco, 34 alleged criminals killed, 30 in that town and another four in the state of Michoacán, in addition to 15 troops from various corporations who were injured during the violent actions in retaliation for the capture and death of the capo.

“They registered 85 road blocks of Baja California (northwest), State of Mexico (center), Michoacán (west), Guanajuato (center), Guerrero (south), Jalisco, Oaxaca (south), Sinaloa (northwest), Tamaulipas (northeast), Veracruz (east) and Zacatecas (north),” he said.

The most violent actions took place in the municipality of Tapalpa, in Jaliscowhere local authorities faced 27 direct attacks by members of the CJNG.

According to the Minister of Security, The violent actions sought to stop the federal forces, which affected the safety and mobility of the population.

The operations deployed by the security forces also brought with them the arrest of at least 70 suspected criminals in seven states of the country.

García Harfuch highlighted that thanks to the coordination between the three levels of government (municipal, state and federal), this Monday daily activities began to normalize in the areas that were affected by the violence, although he commented that about 20 road blockades still remain active.

The death of “El Mencho” unleashed a wave of riots which caused the suspension of classes this Monday at different educational levels, as well as the temporary closure of businesses and banking establishments in various regions of the country.

Oseguera Cervantes was one of the most wanted drug traffickers internationally and its organization, the CJNG, operates in more than 20 Mexican states, consolidating itself as one of the most dangerous and powerful in Mexico.

In recent years, the Mexican Government has dealt important blows to this criminal structure, such as the capture in April 2024 of “Don Rodo”brother of the deceased capo, and the arrest in December 2022 of Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “Tony Montana”, designated as the logistics manager of the cartel.

President Claudia Sheinbaum in turn reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to national security and the restoration of peace, while extending the greatest recognition of the work to the “extraordinary” Armed Forces that have enormous preparation and patriotism.