At least 73 people have died in an attempt to capture a Mexican cartel leader and its violent aftermath

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — At least 73 people have died in Mexico’s attempted capture the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Poster and the violent aftermath of his death, authorities said Monday, as much of the country had feared another wave of violence.

The body count taken by security officials includes security forces, suspected cartel members and others. Officials did not provide details, and the circumstances of most of the deaths were unclear.

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, nicknamed “El Mencho,” was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, known for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine to the United States and launching attacks against Mexican government officials. The organization responded until his death with widespread violence, including the blocking of roads and the burning of vehicles.

Oseguera Cervantes died after a shootout in his home state of Jalisco when the Mexican military tried to capture him. Mexican Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla said on Monday that authorities had followed one of Oseguera Cervantes’ romantic partners to his hideout in Tapalpa.

The cartel leader and two bodyguards fled to a wooded area where they were seriously wounded in a firefight. They were arrested and died en route to Mexico City, Trevilla said.

Elsewhere in Jalisco, soldiers also killed another high-ranking cartel member who Trevilla said was coordinating violence and offering more than $1,000 for each soldier killed.

The dead included 25 members of the Mexican National Guard killed in six separate attacks, Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said.

Harfuch said about 30 criminal suspects were killed in Jalisco, and four others were killed in the neighboring state of Michoacan. A prison guard and an agent from the public prosecutor’s office were also killed.

As the threat of violence looms, several Mexican states canceled school on Monday, while local and foreign governments warned their citizens to stay indoors.

president Claudia Sheinbaum Urging calm, authorities said all of the more than 250 cartel roadblocks in 20 states had been cleared by Monday.

The White House confirmed that the US provided intelligence support to the operation to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico’s military for taking down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries.

Mexico had hoped the deaths of the world’s biggest fentanyl traffickers would ease pressure from the Trump administration to do more against the cartels, but many people were on edge as they waited to see the powerful cartel’s response.

Many fear more violence

The US Embassy said via X that its staff in eight cities and in Michoacan will shelter in place and work remotely on Monday. It warned American citizens in many parts of Mexico to do the same.

Cars began circulating in Guadalajara before sunrise Monday at the start of the work week, a notable change from Sunday, when Jalisco’s state capital and Mexico’s second-largest city was almost completely shut down as terrified residents stayed home.

More than 1,000 people were trapped overnight in Guadalajara’s zoo, sleeping in buses. Mothers wrapped in blankets carried their toddlers off the buses Monday morning for a much-needed bathroom break as police trucks patrolled the area.

Luis Soto Rendón, the zoo’s director, said many had been trapped there since Sunday morning, when violence broke out in Jalisco and surrounding states. Families have concluded that they cannot return home in nearby states such as Zacatecas and Michoacan.

“We decided to let people stay in the zoo for their safety,” Soto said. “There are small children and senior citizens.”

José Luis Ramírez, a 54-year-old therapist, was in a long line of people waiting outside a pharmacy, one of the few businesses open Monday in Guadalajara. Families bought food, medicine, water, diapers and baby formula from pharmacies through a chained door.

It was the first time Ramírez had left home since violence erupted over the weekend, but he struck a hopeful tone, saying civilians must move forward despite the bloodshed.

“We must not think fearfully, but be cool-headed, as they say, and take things as they come,” he said.

Traffic was light in the city, and outwardly it appeared that those who could afford to stay at home did so, while those who had to work made their way carefully through the city.

Irma Hernández, a 43-year-old hotel security guard in Guadalajara, arrived at work early Monday.

She usually takes public transportation to work, but buses weren’t running, and she had no way to cross the city. Her bosses organized a private car to pick her up. Her family, she said, stayed at home, too afraid to leave.

“I’m worried because I don’t know how to get home if something happens,” she said.

Blowing up cartel welcomed by US

US President Donald Trump has demanded that Mexico do more to fight fentanyl smuggling, threatening to introduce more tariffs or take unilateral military action if the country does not show results.

There were early signs that Mexico’s efforts were well received by the United States.

US Ambassador Ron Johnson acknowledged the success of the Mexican armed forces and their sacrifice in a statement late Sunday. Under the leadership of Trump and Sheinbaum, he said, “bilateral cooperation has reached unprecedented levels.”

But the operation could also pave the way for more violence as rival criminal groups take advantage of the blow to El Mencho’s organization, said David Mora, Mexico analyst for the International Crisis Group.

“This could be a moment in which those other groups see that the cartel is weakened and want to seize the opportunity for them to expand control and gain control over Cartel Jalisco in those states,” he said.

Since Sheinbaum took office, “the military has been much more confrontational, fighting criminal groups in Mexico,” Mora said. “It’s a signal to the US that if we continue to work together and share intelligence, Mexico can do it. We don’t need US troops on Mexican soil.”

The US State Department has offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Posterwhich began operating around 2009, is one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico.

In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization. It has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military – including on helicopters – and is a pioneered in launching explosives from drones and installing mines.

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Verza reports from Mexico City. Associated Press writer Fabiola Sánchez in Mexico City also contributed to this report.

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