The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, reported this Monday that 25 members of the National Guard lost their lives on Sunday in violent clashes that shook several states of the country following the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias 'El Mencho', leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), after a federal operation.
During the presidential press conference, the official explained that around 70 members of organized crime were detained due to roadblocks in seven states such as Jalisco or Michoacán (west), while he lamented that "cowardly attacks" occurred that caused the death of "25 soldiers".
Likewise, 30 members of the CJNG lost their lives in the clashes, added García Harfuch.
As the Secretary of Security emphasized, "violent reactions" of organized crime occurred in several states, such as blockades, vehicle burnings or attacks on gas stations, as well as attacks against authorities.
In total, 27 aggressions against security forces were recorded, of which six occurred in Jalisco (western Mexico), where 25 soldiers, one bodyguard, and one member of the state prosecutor's office died.
Additionally, in Michoacán, a neighboring state to Jalisco, there were 15 armed attacks in which 15 state and local corporation officers were injured.
García Harfuch detailed that most of the blockades have been "removed" and that, for the moment, there is "no news" of new blockades today.
"The main roads have been freed and the points that remained affected are under operational control and in their total liberation. 85 blockades were registered on federal highways in Baja California, State of Mexico, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Jalisco, Oaxaca, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and Zacatecas," the head of Security stated.
These events were attended by security forces in cooperation with local authorities, with the objective of "containing the actions of criminal groups, protecting the citizenry, freeing roads, and restoring mobility," added the official.
As a consequence, Harfuch indicated, "by the end of the day there were no violent events in the country such as those registered yesterday Sunday."
The takedown of El Mencho was carried out with intelligence information provided by the United States, according to Mexico's Secretariat of National Defense.
Washington accused him of leading a "reign of terror" in Mexico and destroying "countless lives" with fentanyl trafficking, and offered up to 15 million dollars for information that would lead to his arrest or conviction.
Under his command, the CJNG expanded its presence in Mexico and strengthened drug trafficking routes, including fentanyl to the United States, which placed him among the most wanted drug traffickers by both countries.
