在墨西哥多个州，学校停课，当地政府和外国政府都警告其公民待在家中，此前军队击毙了哈利斯科新一代贩毒集团的强大头目，引发了大规模暴力事件。

内梅西奥·鲁本·奥塞格拉·塞万提斯，绰号“埃尔·门乔”，是墨西哥发展最快的犯罪网络之一的首领，该网络以向美国贩运芬太尼、冰毒和可卡因而臭名昭著，他还曾对挑战其统治的政府官员发动肆无忌惮的袭击。

在墨西哥军队试图抓捕他时，他在家乡哈利斯科州的一场枪战中被击毙。贩毒集团成员随即在全国各地发动暴力袭击，封锁道路，纵火焚烧车辆。

克劳迪娅·欣鲍姆总统呼吁民众保持冷静。周日晚间，当局宣布已清除遍布20个州的250多个贩毒集团路障中的大部分。白宫证实，美国为抓捕贩毒集团头目的行动提供了情报支持，并赞扬墨西哥军队成功除掉了这名在美墨两国都是头号通缉犯的人物。

墨西哥希望全球最大的芬太尼贩运者的死亡能够缓解特朗普政府对打击贩毒集团施加的压力，但许多人仍然忐忑不安，等待着强大的贩毒集团反应。

周日，哈利斯科州首府、墨西哥第二大城市瓜达拉哈拉几乎完全陷入瘫痪，恐惧的居民都待在家中。

周日晚间抵达瓜达拉哈拉国际机场的旅客被告知，由于暴力事件频发，机场人员配备有限。

64岁的营养品供应商哈辛塔·穆尔西亚是周日深夜忐忑不安地穿过机场的旅客之一。当天早些时候，旅客们在机场奔跑，躲在椅子后面，担心发生暴力事件。周日，飞往该市的大部分航班都被暂停。

穆尔西亚焦急地浏览着社交媒体上关于“埃尔·门乔”的新闻报道，并给孩子们发信息，孩子们正在追踪她的位置，因为她试图在天黑后穿过市区回家。

“我今天离开机场的计划是看看能不能打到出租车，但我什么都害怕。害怕有路障，害怕宵禁，害怕会发生什么事，”她说。“我孤身一人。”

哈利斯科州、米却肯州和瓜纳华托州当局报告称，周日至少还有14人丧生，其中包括7名国民警卫队士兵。

社交媒体上流传的视频显示，在巴亚尔塔港，游客们在海滩上漫步，远处升起滚滚浓烟。

在机场的另一处，一群墨西哥老人聚集在一起，商量着如何回家。

“我们最好一起走，”一位老人说。“愿上帝保佑。”

国际危机组织墨西哥问题分析师大卫·莫拉表示，此次抓捕行动和随后爆发的暴力事件标志着谢因鲍姆打击贩毒集团、缓解美国压力的努力迎来了一个转折点。

唐纳德·特朗普总统要求墨西哥采取更多措施打击芬太尼这种致命毒品的走私，并威胁称，如果墨西哥没有取得成效，美国将加征更多关税或采取单方面军事行动。

早期迹象表明，墨西哥的努力得到了美国的认可。

美国驻墨西哥大使罗恩·约翰逊在周日晚间的一份声明中，对墨西哥武装部队取得的胜利及其付出的牺牲表示肯定。他补充说，“在特朗普总统和辛鲍姆总统的领导下，双边合作已达到前所未有的水平。”

但莫拉表示，这也可能为更多暴力事件的发生铺平道路，因为敌对的犯罪集团会利用哈利斯科新一代贩毒集团遭受的打击。

他说，“其他集团可能会看到该集团实力削弱，并想抓住机会扩大控制范围，最终控制哈利斯科贩毒集团在各州的势力。”

“自从辛鲍姆总统上任以来，墨西哥军队对犯罪集团采取了更加强硬的对抗和打击行动，”莫拉说。“这向美国发出一个信号：如果我们继续合作，共享情报，墨西哥就能做到，我们不需要美军驻扎在墨西哥领土上。”

美国国防部在一份声明中表示，奥塞格拉·塞万提斯在周日于哈利斯科州塔帕尔帕（距瓜达拉哈拉西南约两小时车程）进行的抓捕行动中受伤，在被空运至墨西哥城途中死亡。

声明称，行动期间，部队遭到炮火袭击，造成四人死亡。另有三人受伤，其中包括奥塞格拉·塞万提斯，后因伤势过重不治身亡。

白宫新闻秘书卡罗琳·莱维特通过X平台表示，美国政府为此次行动提供了情报支持。她写道：“‘埃尔·门乔’是墨西哥和美国政府的首要目标，因为他是向美国贩运芬太尼的主要毒贩之一。”她赞扬了墨西哥军方的行动。

美国国务院曾悬赏1500万美元，征集有助于逮捕“埃尔·门乔”的信息。 哈利斯科新一代贩毒集团是墨西哥势力最强大、发展速度最快的犯罪组织之一，其活动始于2009年左右。

2025年2月，特朗普政府将该集团列为外国恐怖组织。

谢因鲍姆曾批评前几届政府的“毒枭”策略，该策略旨在铲除贩毒集团头目，却往往导致集团分裂，引发暴力冲突。尽管她在墨西哥仍然很受欢迎，但安全问题始终令人担忧。自美国总统唐纳德·特朗普一年前上任以来，她一直面临着巨大的压力，需要拿出打击毒品走私的成效。

哈利斯科贩毒集团是袭击军方（包括直升机）最猖獗的贩毒集团之一，也是利用无人机投掷爆炸物和埋设地雷的先驱。2020年，该集团在墨西哥城中心地带发动了一起骇人听闻的暗杀行动，使用手榴弹和高威力步枪袭击了时任首都警察局长、现任联邦安全部长。

School was canceled in several Mexican states and local and foreign governments alike warned their citizens to stay inside, as widespread violence erupted following the army’s killing of the powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho” was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, notorious for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen attacks against government officials who challenged it.

He was killed during a shoot-out in his home state of Jalisco as the Mexican military attempted to capture him. Cartel members responded with violence across the country, blocking roads and setting fire to vehicles.

President Claudia Sheinbaum urged calm and authorities announced late Sunday they had cleared most of the more than 250 cartel roadblocks across 20 states. The White House confirmed that the U.S. provided intelligence support to the operation to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico’s army for taking down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries.

Mexico hoped the death of the world’s biggest fentanyl traffickers would ease Trump administration pressure to do more against the cartels, but many remained hunkered down and on edge as they waited to see the powerful cartel’s reaction.

Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state and Mexico’s second-largest city, was almost completely shut down on Sunday as fearful residents stayed home.

Passengers arriving to the city’s international airport Sunday night were told it was operating with limited personnel because of the burst of violence.

Jacinta Murcia, a 64-year-old nutrition products vendor, was among those nervously walking late Sunday night through the airport, where earlier in the day travelers sprinted and ducked behind chairs fearing violence. Most flights into the city were suspended on Sunday.

Murcia anxiously scrolled through news stories on social media showing the face of “El Mencho” and sent messages to her children, who were tracking her location as she tried to travel across the city to her house after dark.

“My plan today leaving the airport is to see if there are any taxis, but I’m scared of everything. That there are blockades, that there’s a curfew, that something could happen,” she said. “I’m all alone.”

Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan and Guanajuato reported at least 14 other people killed Sunday, including seven National Guard troops.

Videos circulating on social media showed tourists in Puerto Vallarta walking on the beach with smoke rising in the distance.

In another part of the airport a group of elderly Mexicans gathered, discussing how to get home.

“We better all go together,” one said. “Go with God.”

David Mora, Mexico analyst for International Crisis Group, said the capture and outburst of violence marks a point of inflection in Sheinbaum’s push to crack down on cartels and relieve U.S. pressures.

President Donald Trump has demanded Mexico do more to fight the smuggling of the often-deadly drug fentanyl, threatening to impose more tariffs or take unilateral military action if the country does not show results.

There were early signs that Mexico’s efforts were well received by the United States.

U.S. Ambassador Ron Johnson recognized the success of the Mexican armed forces and their sacrifice in a statement late Sunday. He added that “under the leadership of President Trump and President Sheinbaum, bilateral cooperation has reached unprecedented levels.”

But it may also pave the way for more violence as rival criminal groups take advantage of the blow dealt to the CJNG, Mora said.

“This might be a moment in which those other groups see that the cartel is weakened and want to seize the opportunity for them to expand control and to gain control over Cartel Jalisco in those states,” he said.

“Ever since President Sheinbaum has been in power, the army has been way more confrontational, combative against criminal groups in Mexico,” Mora said. “This is signaling to the U.S. that if we keep cooperating, sharing intelligence, Mexico can do it, we don’t need U.S. troops on Mexican soil.”

Oseguera Cervantes, who was wounded in the operation to capture him Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara, died while being flown to Mexico City, the Defense Department said in a statement.

During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died, the statement said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said via X that the U.S. government provided intelligence support for the operation. “‘El Mencho’ was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland,” she wrote. She commended Mexico’s military for its work.

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful and fastest growing criminal organizations in Mexico and began operating around 2009.

In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

Sheinbaum has criticized the “kingpin” strategy of previous administrations that took out cartel leaders, only to trigger explosions of violence as cartels fractured. While she has remained popular in Mexico, security is a persistent concern and since U.S. President Donald Trump took office a year ago, she has been under tremendous pressure to show results against drug trafficking.

The Jalisco cartel has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military — including on helicopters — and is a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital’s police force and now federal security secretary.