The president of MexicoClaudia Sheinbaum, assured this Monday that there is “more tranquility” after the violent events of yesterday Sunday in a large part of the country, after the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias ‘El Mencho’, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
“Today there is more tranquility and there is a Government, there is an Armed Forces. There is a security cabinet and there is a lot of coordination. So, you can rest assured that peace, security and normality are being safeguarded in the country,” said the president during her morning press conference, as quoted by EFE.
Sheinbaum’s statements occur after the violence on Sunday, with blockades, burning of vehicles and armed confrontations, which forced the activation of an extraordinary security scheme with the participation of the Armed Forces, the National Guard and state authorities, particularly in Jalisco and surrounding states.
The events led to the cancellation of flights, especially in Jalisco; In addition, blockades and riots were reported in at least 16 states, including Puebla, Querétaro, the State of Mexico, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas.
The president explained that, after the operation, the federal government installed a national command center to coordinate security actions with state authorities. He also recognized the Armed Forces for their actions and stressed that the central objective of the Government is to preserve “the peace and security” of the entire Mexican population.
25 members of the National Guard and eight drug traffickers killed
A total of 25 members of the National Guard died due to the wave of violence that shook several states after the death of El Mencho, according to the Secretary of Security, Omar García Harfuch, cited by the Spanish agency.
Some 70 members of organized crime were arrested due to road blockades in states such as Jalisco or Michoacán, García Harfuch reported at a press conference, while regretting that there were “cowardly attacks” that caused the death of “25 soldiers.”
Adelmas, as reported by the Secretary of National Defense, General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, cited by CNN, Eight members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel died during the operation.
A “very violent confrontation” occurred between members of the cartel and Mexican special forces. “It was a really very violent attack by members of organized crime,” Trevilla told the press.
Washington pressure
The death of ‘el Mencho’ occurs in a context of growing pressure from Washington against the Government and this in turn against the Mexican cartels that last year were declared “terrorist” by the US authorities.
Mexico kills “El Mencho”, the most wanted drug trafficker in the world
The United States accuses the cartels of leading a “reign of terror” in Mexico and destroying “countless lives” with fentanyl trafficking, and offered up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of ‘el Mencho’.
Under his command, the CJNG expanded its presence in Mexico and strengthened drug trafficking routes, including fentanyl to the United States, which placed it among the most wanted drug traffickers in both countries.
Sheinbaum emphasized that the operation was carried out by the country’s forces. “There is no participation of US forces, what there is is an exchange of information,” he said, according to quotes from cnn .
