The trail to Mexico’s most wanted cartel boss apparently did not begin with drugs or money, but with the woman he loved.
Mexican authorities say they tracked Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, to a mountain cabin in Jalisco by following one of his romantic partners, according to The New York Times.
Oseguera, 59, was killed during a raid by special forces on Sunday (Feb. 22), which led to an eruption of cartel violence in Puerto Vallarta.
Intelligence agents say they monitored a man close to Oseguera’s lover, who led them to the wooded outskirts of Tapalpa, where the cartel leader had been hiding since at least Friday (Feb. 20).
At a news conference on Monday, Gen. Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, Mexico's defense secretary, described how the woman left the cabin the day before the raid while Oseguera remained with his security team, with special forces moving into Tapalpa early Sunday.
When troops revealed their presence, Oseguera fled and a gun battle erupted. His associates reportedly had a "large amount of weaponry," including seven long guns and two rocket launchers. Eight suspected cartel members were killed in that initial clash.
"It was a very violent attack," General Trevilla said, per the Times.
The general then said security forces pursued Oseguera into a wooded area, where they found him “hiding in brush.”
Authorities said his group possessed a rocket launcher previously used in 2015 to shoot down a military helicopter in Jalisco, killing nine security personnel searching for him. Officials said they prevented it from being fired this time, though another military helicopter was damaged and forced into an emergency landing.
Oseguera and two guards were severely injured in the exchange of fire and died while being transported by helicopter to a medical facility in Guadalajara. Their bodies were later sent to Mexico City.
The government said the operation marked the first time in recent years that the Mexican military had killed a top cartel leader.
Oseguera founded the Jalisco New Generation Cartel more than 15 years ago after splitting from the Sinaloa Cartel. The group is involved in drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and migrant smuggling. The U.S. State Department had previously offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Following his death and retaliatory violent activity across Mexico, the U.S. Embassy of Mexico urged American citizens to shelter in place “until further notice” while in Jalisco State, which includes Puerto Vallarta, as well as several other states.
Kali Uchis, who was scheduled to perform in Guadalajara on Sunday, pulled the plug on her concert that evening. Her show at Mexico City’s Palacio De Los Deportes on Wednesday will proceed as scheduled.