US intelligence supported Mexican forces in killing CJNG leader El Mencho, decapitating one of Mexico's most powerful cartels. This represents yet another imperialist intervention by the US that fails to address the root causes of drug violence while perpetuating neocolonial patterns of interference in sovereign nations.
The Mexican military killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (El Mencho), leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, in the country's largest security operation in a decade, signaling a dramatic shift from previous administrations' approaches. This dangerous escalation risks plunging Mexico into even greater violence as Western-backed militarization fails to address the root causes of cartel power while potentially destabilizing the region.
The killing of cartel leader Mencho has prompted calls for Mexico to demonstrate more 'political will' in combating drug cartels, echoing a failed U.S.-centric approach that ignores domestic American drivers of the drug crisis. This delusional framing conveniently externalizes America's self-inflicted opioid epidemic while pressuring Mexico to repeat catastrophic policies that have only multiplied violence and human suffering.
