Mexico’s cartel boss El Mencho was killed with US intelligence support, says defence ministry. Details here

Amid the massive violence after the death of cartel boss Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes in a Mexican military operation on Sunday (Feb 22), the country's defence ministry revealed that the US played a major role in the killing of El Mencho. During a news conference on Monday (Feb 23), General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo said the US allowed authorities to “dismantle the information networks” of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes. “We also benefited from US institutions and intelligence agencies, and this allowed us to dismantle the information networks of El Mencho and to proceed with the arrest operation,” he said.

“As you know, the intelligence process is very complex. It requires a lot of time. One has to gather a lot of clues and information from various sources,” he added. He further said that Mexico has “been in very close contact with the US Armed Forces Well in this area.” The US provided intelligence support for the operation, according to the White House.

Meanwhile, the Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum, made a plea for peace in the country during her routine news conference. “Today, there is already more calm, and there is government, there are armed forces, there is a security cabinet, and there is a lot of coordination,” she said.

She added that there was no participation of US troops in the operation that resulted in the death of El Mencho. "There wasn't any participation in the operation by US troops, what there is a lot of is interchange of information," Sheinbaum said.