“The operations are carried out by federal forces”
Claudia Sheinbaum came out quickly. Faced with the questions that were already beginning to circulate, the president made one thing clear: the operation that ended with Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, was our doing. No gringo boots on Mexican soil.
“There is no participation in the operation by United States forces. What there is is a lot of exchange of information,” he declared at a conference.
There is the nuance we always look for. He flatly denied the physical presence of American elements, but recognized – why not – the constant flow of intelligence. An old dance where we set the stage and they… well, they provide part of the choreography.
The military version
General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, head of National Defense, was more graphic. He explained that the location of the capo’s inner circle – including his romantic partner – was “with military intelligence from us”.
“There was a lot of very important additional information that came to us from the United States, but all of that was already integrated, well analyzed, and could give us the exact location,” he explained.
Translation: they passed data, we connected the dots and pulled the trigger. An asymmetric collaboration presented as perfect coordination.
Given the doubts about governability after the violent events on Sunday, Sheinbaum was brief: “That exists, governability has always existed.”. A mantra we have heard before, every time reality seems to contradict official discourse.
General Trevilla framed everything within the national security strategy implemented since last October. Four beautiful axes in PowerPoint: attention to causes, strengthening of the National Guard, intelligence and coordination.
The curious thing is the timing. It always is. A spectacular success just when institutional strength is most needed. Sheinbaum closed by reiterating the obvious: they will continue to report and cooperation is limited to the exchange of data.
Nothing new under the border sun. Just the same actors repeating already known lines, while one boss breathes less and the rest of the system remains intact.
