Sawt Falasteen - Top Mexican drug cartel leader killed

Nemesio Oseguera, the 59-year-old leader of the violent Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was wounded in a clash with soldiers in the town of Tapalpa and died while being flown to Mexico City, the army said in a statement. He had a $15 million US bounty on his head.

Gunmen retaliating for the raid blocked more than 20 roads in western Jalisco state, which includes Tapalpa, with burning cars and trucks. The violence spread to other states as well.

Oseguera, whose nickname was "El Mencho," is one of the biggest Mexican drug lords to be taken down since the capture of the founders of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman and Ismael Zambada. Both are now serving time in the United States.

Sunday's statement said that in addition to Mexico's own military intelligence, the raid was carried out with "complementary information" from US authorities.

It said six suspected cartel gunmen besides Oseguera were killed and three soldiers were wounded.

Two cartel suspects were arrested and a variety of weapons were seized, including rocket launchers capable of taking down airplanes and destroying armored vehicles, the statement said.

As gunmen blocked roads with retaliatory violence, Jalisco state, which is scheduled to host four World Cup games this summer, cancelled all events involving large crowds on Sunday and cancelled in-person classes for Monday.

- 'A great development for Mexico' -

The streets of the state capital Guadalajara were almost empty as stores, pharmacies and gas stations shut down.

Maria Medina, who works in a convenience store that was set on fire, said men with guns showed up and told everyohne to get out.

"I thought they were going to kidnap us. I ran to a taco stand to take cover with the people there," Medina told AFP.

The violence spread to the neighboring state of Michoacan, where Oseguera's cartel also has a presence, and to the resort city of Puerto Vallarta.

His cartel was formed in 2009 and became one of Mexico's most violent drug trafficking organizations, according to the US Justice Department.

The United States has classified the Jalisco cartel as a terrorist organization and accuses it of sending cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the United States.

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau welcomed the operation and called Oseguera "one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins."

"This is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world. The good guys are stronger than the bad guys," he added.

The raid came amid pressure from US President Donald Trump for Mexico to stem the flow of drugs, particularly fentanyl, into the United States.

Trump has threatened repeatedly to slap tariffs on Mexican exports, arguing the government of President Claudia Sheinbaum has not done enough to combat the drug trade.

S.AbuJamous--SF-PST