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The Mexican army killed the country\u2019s most powerful cartel leader and one of the United States\u2019 most wanted fugitives, notching a major victory while cartel members responded with a wave of violence across the country.<\/p>\n
The killing Sunday of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader<\/a><\/span> Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes during an attempt to capture him in Jalisco state was the highest-profile blow against cartels since the recapture of former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaqu\u00edn \u201cEl Chapo\u201d Guzm\u00e1n<\/a><\/span> a decade ago.<\/p>\n Following Oseguera Cervantes\u2019 death, security forces were placed on alert throughout the country as gunmen unleashed violence<\/a><\/span>. Cars burned out by cartel members blocked roads<\/a><\/span> in 20 Mexican states. People locked themselves in their homes in Guadalajara, Mexico\u2019s second-largest city and Jalisco\u2019s capital, and school was canceled Monday in several states.<\/p>\n The killing could give the government a leg up in its dealings with the U.S. Trump administration, which has been threatening tariffs<\/a><\/span> or unilateral military action<\/a><\/span> if Mexico does not show results in the fight against the cartels. But the long-term effect on Mexico\u2019s security landscape remains unclear.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what to know:<\/p>\n \u2018El Mencho\u2019 was the leader of a fast-growing criminal group<\/strong><\/p>\n Oseguera Cervantes, better known as \u201cEl Mencho,\u201d was 59 years old and originally from the western state of Michoacan. His ties to organized crime went back at least three decades.<\/p>\n In 1994, he was tried for trafficking heroin in the U.S. and sent to prison for three years. Upon returning to Mexico, he quickly rose through Mexico\u2019s drug trafficking underworld.<\/p>\n