El Mencho's Last Stand Shatters a Tranquil Mexican Town

Mexican security forces killed cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aka El Mencho, after tracking him to a lodge near Tapalpa, Jalisco; the operation sparked hours of gun battles, arson and road blockades across western Mexico, with more than 60 people killed in the wider violence. Guardian reporters later visited Tapalpa and found two alleged hideouts linked to El Mencho amid a town still marketed to tourists, highlighting the eerie contrast between tourism imagery and narco unrest. While his death is a major blow to the CJNG, experts warn that violence tied to Mexico’s drug trade is unlikely to end soon.