What We Know About the Killing of Cartel Kingpin

El Mencho is dead, and Mexico is now bracing for what comes next. The Mexican military announced over the weekend it had killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, who had been the nation's most powerful drug kingpin as head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. A look at coverage:

• Retaliation: Oseguera Cervantes' foot soldiers are staging retaliatory attacks, mostly in Guadalajara, but the big question is whether this will amount to only a token show of force, reports the BBC. The answer may not come for days.
• Succession fight: The cartel now faces a high-stakes succession fight that could either keep its global drug empire intact or splinter it into smaller, more violent pieces, reports the New York Times. Several of Oseguera Cervantes' brothers, as well as his son, were previously arrested. One longshot contender to succeed him is his widow, per the Times. "In an environment full of machismo, it is difficult for a woman to assume the command of a criminal organization in Mexico," one cartel expert tells the newspaper.

• Stakes: The outcome matters well beyond Mexico: Jalisco ships cocaine and meth worldwide, has begun edging into fentanyl, and bankrolls itself through everything from avocado farming to illegal mining. Its potential fragmentation could weaken drug flows, which Washington would welcome, but could also drive up murders in Mexico.
• US role: The Mexican military used American intelligence in the weekend operation, reports Axios, and that's a big reason why the US government has advised Americans currently in the country to shelter in place temporarily. In late 2024, the DEA put up a $15 million bounty on Oseguera Cervantes.
• The basics: Oseguera Cervantes, believed to have been 59, is a former police officer who grew up poor, per the Wall Street Journal. The BBC describes his rise in the cartels (first in the Melenio Cartel) as "meteoric," and says it was achieved through "aggression, ambition, brutality, and ruthlessness." Oseguera Cervantes spent time in California during his 20s before being deported back to Mexico at age 30 after several drug arrests.
• In Mexico: The killing of Oseguera Cervantes is seen as perhaps the biggest strike ever against the cartels. But, as the Times notes, "President Claudia Sheinbaum could now face one of the most violent and consequential chapters in Mexico's recent history." The AP notes Sheinbaum has been under pressure from the White House to push back on drug trafficking.