White House Now Confirms, U.S. Provided Intelligence Support for Mexico's Jalisco Cartel Strike

The situation in Mexico is still unfolding, but things seem to be calming down a little - but only a little. The Mexican military and police have cleared most of the cartel roadblocks as of early Monday. At this point, how this will all unfold is still anyone's guess, but we have learned a few things.

First, the United States supplied intelligence support for the Mexican government's raid that resulted in the death of the Jalisco cartel's head goblin, "El Mencho."

The U.S. commended Mexican authorities for killing the leader of one of the largest narco-terrorist cartels in the country on Sunday.
The U.S. provided intelligence support for a Mexican operation that resulted in the death of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," who was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel. Cervantes was killed in a shootout with Mexican forces inside his home as they attempted to carry out an operation to capture him.
The cartel reacted to its leader's death with violence across Mexico, placing roadblocks and setting vehicles on fire throughout Sunday. Mexican authorities said they had cleared most of the roadblocks by late Sunday.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a post on X, confirmed the U.S. support:

The United States provided intelligence support to the Mexican government in order to assist with an operation in Talpalpa, Jalisco, Mexico, in which Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, an infamous drug lord and leader within the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was eliminated.… https://t.co/iKxsAMmnLN
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) February 23, 2026

The post continues:

...was eliminated. ‘El Mencho’ was a was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland. Last year, President Trump rightfully designated the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization — because that’s exactly what it is. In this operation, three additional cartel members were killed, three were wounded, and two were arrested.
President Trump has been very clear — the United States will ensure narcoterrorists sending deadly drugs to our homeland are forced to face the wrath of justice they have long deserved.
The Trump Administration also commends and thanks the Mexican military for their cooperation and successful execution of this operation.

And finally, the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ronald D. Johnson, praised the cooperation between the two nations:

U.S. Ambassador Ron Johnson recognized the success of the Mexican armed forces and their sacrifice in a statement late Sunday. He added that "under the leadership of President Trump and President Sheinbaum, bilateral cooperation has reached unprecedented levels."

So far, so good - at least for now.

Jalisco Cartel Chaos: Government Now Urging Puerto Vallarta Tourists to Lock Down

The underlying causes of Mexico's cartel problem remain in place, though, and it's not at all clear this thing is over yet. The cartels almost certainly still have stocks of military-grade hardware. They also almost certainly have more influence in Mexico's government, military, and civil law enforcement than anyone should feel comfortable with. As for El Mencho, he wasn't the glue holding the Jalisco New Generation Cartel together. They won't collapse into ruin without him. Some new goblin will arise to take his place.

Here's the thing, though: Even the most bloody-minded of the cartel goblins, while they may muster enough cojones to take on the Mexican military in irregular engagements, have to know that taking on the United States is another matter entirely; if they don't know that, then it would seem some education is in order.

Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.

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