The Mexican military has revealed the details of the operation that took down Mexico’s top drug lord, El Mencho, in the Mexican town of Tapalpa, where he was El Mencho had a secret hideout with his mistress. The military did not reveal the name of the drug lord’s mistress and did not explicitly clarify whether she helped the military in reaching the boss of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Mexico’s Defense Secretary Gen Ricardo Trevilla said agents identified a man close to a girlfriend of El Mencho before Sunday’s raid. The girlfriend was tracked down to a resort compound in Tapalpa, where Oseguera and his men were located.
The military was ready and the operation started after the girlfriend left the resort.
A major gunfight began once the troops got inside the compound, as El Mencho had heavily armed security who opened fire on military personnel. They even had two rocket launchers. The gunfight gave way to a chase in the woods that resulted in the death of eight people, including El Mencho, two bodyguards who were initially wounded and later died.
More than 50 people died in the aftermath of the raid during the gang’s counteroffensive. The dead included 25 Mexican soldiers and security officers and 30 alleged gunmen. There were also civilians caught in the crossfire, including a pregnant woman, authorities said.
Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum said she was notified of the operation early on Sunday. There were no US boots on the ground, she said, rejecting any claims thatthe US took part in the operation apart from intel sharing.
Oseguera was married to Rosalinda González Valencia before their split in 2018. Rosalinda was in jail until last year as she was serving two years for a money laundering conviction.
