A message from Washington that sounds like victory
Christopher Landau, a senior State Department official, did not hide his satisfaction. Through his networks, he directly congratulated the Mexican authorities for a fact that he described as “great progress.” The target: Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, ‘El Mencho’, founder of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
“I just learned that the Mexican security forces have killed ‘El Mencho’, one of the most bloodthirsty and ruthless drug lords. It is a great advance for Mexico, the United States, Latin America and the world. The good ones are more than the bad ones. Congratulations to the public order forces of the great Mexican nation,”
Landau wrote.
His words are not just a formal greeting. They are the public recognition, and almost in real time, of an operation that Washington has been waiting for for years. The death of ‘El Mencho’ is not just any casualty; It is the downing of the pilot who commanded one of the most powerful and violent criminal organizations on the planet.
An operation that changes the board
The Mexican authorities confirmed the events on the morning of Sunday, February 22. The outcome occurred during an operation in the state of Jalisco, homeland and main bastion of the CJNG.
For Landau and for the bilateral strategy against organized crime, this represents much more than news. It is tangible proof of collaboration and, above all, a huge symbolic blow. Removing a figure as elusive and powerful as ‘El Mencho’ from the game sends a clear message: not even the most armored are out of reach.
Now, the real drama begins. The question everyone in intelligence circles is asking is: what’s next? A cartel like the CJNG does not collapse with the death of its leader, no matter how founder he is. What is coming is an internal struggle for power, possible fragmentation and, almost certainly, more violence.
The congratulations from Washington is the first act. The second act, the most dangerous and uncertain, will take place in the streets and mountains where the CJNG rules.
