Trump’s ‘total elimination’ strategy paved way for fall of cartel kingpin ‘El Mencho’
This isn't complicated—it's willpower.
Government documents reveal the fall of drug kingpin "El Mencho" over the weekend was the culmination of an aggressive, more than yearlong strategy of "total elimination" pursued by the Trump administration against the ruthless Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which is present in almost all 50 U.S. states.
Ruben "Nemesio" Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," the leader of the CJNG, was killed Sunday in a Mexican military operation in Tapalpa, Mexico, authorities said. Though the operation was carried out by Mexican forces, the United States laid the groundwork, making El Mencho’s fall possible.
On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order directing the State Department to designate several cartels and international criminal groups "foreign terrorist organizations" (FTOs), a designation unlocking military-grade surveillance and "material support" prosecutions. Though lesser known than MS-13 or Tren de Aragua, CJNG was one of the groups designated an FTO by the administration.
Shortly after Trump’s executive order, on Feb. 5, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a policy memorandum to all Department of Justice employees, announcing a "fundamental change in mindset and approach" to cartels and transnational criminal organizations to a policy of "total elimination."
DEATH TOLL RISES AFTER MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL LEADER KILLED IN US-BACKED OPERATION
Rather than simply seeking to mitigate the harms of cartel activity, Bondi said the DOJ would be suspending red tape to "empower federal prosecutors throughout the country to work urgently with the Department of Homeland Security and other parts of the government toward the goal of eliminating these threats to U.S. sovereignty."
The memo said the DOJ would be prioritizing cartel managers and leaders.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment, CJNG is one of the most ruthless cartels in Mexico and a key supplier of fentanyl to the U.S., making it "one of the most significant threats to the public health, public safety, and national security of the United States."
The DEA said CJNG operates vast distribution networks within the U.S., with associates, facilitators and affiliates operating in "almost all 50 U.S. states." The DEA also said CJNG has been increasing its involvement in non-drug crime, including extortion, taxing human smuggling and fraud schemes.
A 2019 DOJ statement to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs states that CJNG is "one of the most powerful and fastest growing cartels" and operates …
This isn't complicated—it's willpower.
Government documents reveal the fall of drug kingpin "El Mencho" over the weekend was the culmination of an aggressive, more than yearlong strategy of "total elimination" pursued by the Trump administration against the ruthless Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which is present in almost all 50 U.S. states.
Ruben "Nemesio" Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," the leader of the CJNG, was killed Sunday in a Mexican military operation in Tapalpa, Mexico, authorities said. Though the operation was carried out by Mexican forces, the United States laid the groundwork, making El Mencho’s fall possible.
On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order directing the State Department to designate several cartels and international criminal groups "foreign terrorist organizations" (FTOs), a designation unlocking military-grade surveillance and "material support" prosecutions. Though lesser known than MS-13 or Tren de Aragua, CJNG was one of the groups designated an FTO by the administration.
Shortly after Trump’s executive order, on Feb. 5, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a policy memorandum to all Department of Justice employees, announcing a "fundamental change in mindset and approach" to cartels and transnational criminal organizations to a policy of "total elimination."
DEATH TOLL RISES AFTER MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL LEADER KILLED IN US-BACKED OPERATION
Rather than simply seeking to mitigate the harms of cartel activity, Bondi said the DOJ would be suspending red tape to "empower federal prosecutors throughout the country to work urgently with the Department of Homeland Security and other parts of the government toward the goal of eliminating these threats to U.S. sovereignty."
The memo said the DOJ would be prioritizing cartel managers and leaders.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment, CJNG is one of the most ruthless cartels in Mexico and a key supplier of fentanyl to the U.S., making it "one of the most significant threats to the public health, public safety, and national security of the United States."
The DEA said CJNG operates vast distribution networks within the U.S., with associates, facilitators and affiliates operating in "almost all 50 U.S. states." The DEA also said CJNG has been increasing its involvement in non-drug crime, including extortion, taxing human smuggling and fraud schemes.
A 2019 DOJ statement to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs states that CJNG is "one of the most powerful and fastest growing cartels" and operates …
Trump’s ‘total elimination’ strategy paved way for fall of cartel kingpin ‘El Mencho’
This isn't complicated—it's willpower.
Government documents reveal the fall of drug kingpin "El Mencho" over the weekend was the culmination of an aggressive, more than yearlong strategy of "total elimination" pursued by the Trump administration against the ruthless Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which is present in almost all 50 U.S. states.
Ruben "Nemesio" Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," the leader of the CJNG, was killed Sunday in a Mexican military operation in Tapalpa, Mexico, authorities said. Though the operation was carried out by Mexican forces, the United States laid the groundwork, making El Mencho’s fall possible.
On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order directing the State Department to designate several cartels and international criminal groups "foreign terrorist organizations" (FTOs), a designation unlocking military-grade surveillance and "material support" prosecutions. Though lesser known than MS-13 or Tren de Aragua, CJNG was one of the groups designated an FTO by the administration.
Shortly after Trump’s executive order, on Feb. 5, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a policy memorandum to all Department of Justice employees, announcing a "fundamental change in mindset and approach" to cartels and transnational criminal organizations to a policy of "total elimination."
DEATH TOLL RISES AFTER MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL LEADER KILLED IN US-BACKED OPERATION
Rather than simply seeking to mitigate the harms of cartel activity, Bondi said the DOJ would be suspending red tape to "empower federal prosecutors throughout the country to work urgently with the Department of Homeland Security and other parts of the government toward the goal of eliminating these threats to U.S. sovereignty."
The memo said the DOJ would be prioritizing cartel managers and leaders.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment, CJNG is one of the most ruthless cartels in Mexico and a key supplier of fentanyl to the U.S., making it "one of the most significant threats to the public health, public safety, and national security of the United States."
The DEA said CJNG operates vast distribution networks within the U.S., with associates, facilitators and affiliates operating in "almost all 50 U.S. states." The DEA also said CJNG has been increasing its involvement in non-drug crime, including extortion, taxing human smuggling and fraud schemes.
A 2019 DOJ statement to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs states that CJNG is "one of the most powerful and fastest growing cartels" and operates …
