On February 22, cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was killed in a hideout in the town of Tapalpa, a well-known tourist center in Mexico’s Jalisco state. The Mexican military soon presented a broad version of the events: the country’s intelligence agencies, aided by U.S. counterparts, had been closely tracking the Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader and his associates for two days before elite Mexican forces launched a capture operation that turned violent, ending with El Mencho’s death. It was President Claudia Sheinbaum’s first operation against a major criminal leader, and probably not her last.

Since beginning her term in October 2024, Sheinbaum has revamped the government’s campaign against criminal organizations. The February mission appeared to be a military and political success.…