The death of its most wanted man could trigger a “total war” in Mexico — America’s largest trading partner and most popular tourist destination, an expert has warned.
Disorder has broken out in at least 20 of Mexico’s 31 states following the Sunday killing of Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, 59, founder and leader of the violent and powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Security expert David Saucedo said the drug lord’s killing could lead to “total war against the Mexican state.”
“This didn’t seem to be just an operation to capture ‘El Mencho,’ but to exterminate him, to use lethal force to bring him down,” Saucedo told CNN.
“In the criminal underworld, such actions are not simply overlooked. The reaction is what we’re seeing now: narco-terrorism, blockades, and fires in grocery stores across Mexico,” he added.
Cervantes, better known as “El Mencho,” died in custody after security forces captured him in the wake of a shootout with his bodyguards on Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco state.
On Sunday, cartel fighters brought Mexico’s second-largest city, Jalisco’s state capital, Guadalajara, to a standstill, with roadblocks closing off much of the city and canceling flights.
The current violence is intended to paralyze economic activity and damage the national and international image of the government of leftist President Claudia Scheinbaum, Saucedo said.
At least 30 people are believed to have died so far in the fighting, which has affected some two-thirds of Mexico.
