El Mencho death: Killing narcos ‘unlawful, fascist’, said Mexican President Sheinbaum once. What changed in the ‘hugs, not bullets’ policy?

In late 2025, as US President Donald Trump raised pressure on Latin American nations such as Mexico and Venezuela to fight alleged narco-terrorism, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said killing narcos was outside the purview of law and due process, and would amount to fascism. For years, talk of “human rights” and “due process of law” under the Mexican Constitution has, critics argue, delayed concrete action against the drug cartels, allowing them to flourish into parallel governments and heavily armed militias. The mayhem unleashed after the killing of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), exemplifies this. What was Sheinbaum’s original stance on the drug cartels, and what has changed now, and why?

Sheinbaum once said going to war against cartels is ‘unlawful and fascist’

In a speech now being widely shared on social media, Sheinbaum said that everyone is entitled to due process of law. Starting a war against the narcos, she argued, would permit deaths without trial or due process, which would be against the Mexican Constitution.

On various occasions, particularly after the Trump administration intensified maritime anti-drug operations in the Caribbean, Sheinbaum criticised Washington, citing international laws governing how operations must be conducted when confronting alleged illegal drug or weapons transportation in international waters.

“Obviously, we do not agree… We have made this clear to the government of the United States,” she had said at the time.

On one occasion, she said: “Returning to the war against the narco is not an option… First, because it is outside the framework of the law… it is a licence to kill, without any trial… it’s going towards fascism.”

She added that such an approach “did nothing but increase homicides in Mexico and the level of violence.”

Mexico’s ‘hugs, not bullets’ policy on narcos didn't work

Sheinbaum’s words echoed those of her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose security strategy became known as “hugs, not bullets” (“abrazos, no balazos” in Spanish). The policy emphasised addressing the social roots of crime rather than pursuing an outright military confrontation with the drug cartels.

Critics argued that this approach amounted to accommodation or appeasement, allowing cartels to expand territorially and financially.

Note that Mexico has recorded more than 400,000 drug-related deaths since 2006, according to data from the Council on Foreign Relations. In this climate, any leader perceived as opposing tough action against the cartels risked being seen by critics as compromised or overly lenient.

El Mencho killing: What changed for Sheinbaum?

The killing of El Mencho, the long-time leader of the CJNG, on Sunday (Feb 22) in Tapalpa, Jalisco, represents a dramatic shift for Mexico, and specifically for Seinbaum. For a president who consistently resisted US military intervention or unilateral strikes on Mexican soil, the move signalled a more proactive security posture against the drug cartels.

Most likely, Sheinbaum was presented with a stark geopolitical reality and choice: Mexico acts, or the United States would.

In recent months, the Trump administration increased pressure through tariff threats, warnings about designating cartels as terrorist organisations, and strong rhetoric about cross-border security.

Faced with this, Sheinbaum’s government intensified intelligence-led operations, increased arrests and drug seizures, and deployed the Mexican military to high-violence areas. Cooperation with the US appears to have expanded in intelligence-sharing, though without American troops operating openly on Mexican soil.

US pressure and quiet cooperation against Mexico narcos

The military operation that led to El Mencho’s death reportedly involved Mexican special forces, with US intelligence support. Tariff threats, trade tensions, and the possibility of unilateral US action may have influenced Sheinbaum's calculations.

Publicly, Sheinbaum continued to reject foreign intervention. Privately and operationally, however, her administration appears to have coordinated more closely with US agencies to demonstrate tangible results against organised crime.

El Mencho’s killing thus becomes more than a security operation. It was also a political signal — to Washington and to the Mexican public — that her government is willing to act decisively against powerful cartels when circumstances demand it, while keeping away US direct intervention.

The shift from rhetoric opposing a “war on narcos” to a targeted, intelligence-driven strike reflects a recalibration rather than a wholesale abandonment of her earlier position. Towards that end, El Mencho killing is a major "prize" for Sheinbaum to show progress amid pressure.