Mexican military kills cartel boss 'El Mencho' in US-backed raid

Firefighters work to extinguish flames from a vehicle used by organized crime members as roadblock following a series of detentions by federal forces, in Guadalajara, Mexico, February 22, 2026. REUTERS/Michelle Freyria

MEXICO CITY, Feb 22 (Reuters) - One of ⁠Mexico's most notorious drug lords, Nemesio Oseguera, or "El Mencho," was killed in a military raid on Sunday, sparking widespread retaliatory violence.

President Claudia Sheinbaum has been under ⁠mounting pressure from Washington to intensify her offensive against drug cartels blamed for producing and smuggling drugs, particularly the synthetic opioid fentanyl, across the ‌border to the U.S.