An official statement and many unanswered questions
Omar García Harfuch, the Secretary of Security, went out to X to distribute recognitions. The reason: an operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco, where they claim that Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, the brain of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed.
“We make broad recognition of the bravery, professionalism and loyalty of the personnel of the Mexican Army, the National Guard and the Mexican Air Force,”
he wrote. The official message is a hymn to coordination and an accurate blow to crime. Sounds good. It sounds like a victory.
But this is where my legal training sounds an alarm. When a statement shines so brightly, you have to rub it to see if it’s gold or just varnish. A milestone is announced, an international criminal organization is weakened… and then silence on concrete operational details.
How many troops? Was there months-long prior intelligence or was it an ambush? Official versions are usually brief for national security. Also for narrative convenience.
The historical memory that we must not lose
I remember too many definitive blows to organized crime that, over time, revealed themselves as chapters of an endless war. The capture or death of a boss rarely means peace. It usually means power vacuum, violent realignments and revenge.
Authorities say they are monitoring the situation to ensure safety. It’s the least we can expect after announcing something like this. The uncomfortable question is: what then?
The statement ends with the priority of protecting the population. Hopefully that protection includes transparency about what really happened in those hills of Jalisco, beyond the triumphalist bulletin. Because the truth, unlike the bosses, should never be down.
