Who are Mexico’s top cartel bosses killed or arrested in recent years?

Al JazeeraCenterEN 3 min read 100% complete by Al Jazeera StaffFebruary 23, 2026 at 12:22 PM

AI Summary

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In February 2026, Mexican armed forces killed Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, triggering violence in parts of Mexico. This event adds to a list of high-profile cartel leaders who have been killed or arrested in recent years. Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada was arrested in July 2024, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, son of El Chapo, was apprehended in January 2023. Other notable captures include Rafael Caro Quintero in July 2022 and Servando "La Tuta" Gomez in February 2015. El Chapo himself was sentenced to life in prison in July 2019 after being recaptured in January 2016 following an escape. Authorities also killed or arrested leaders of the Zetas cartel, including Miguel Angel Trevino Morales in July 2013 and Heriberto Lazcano in October 2012.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Texas 30% Mexico City 40% Culiacan 40% El Paso 40% Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador 50% Rafael Caro Quintero 60% Ovidio Guzman Lopez 60% Sinaloa Cartel 70% Ismael Zambada (El Mayo) 70% Jalisco New Generation Cartel 80% Joaquin Guzman (El Chapo) ×490% Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (El Mencho) ×290%

Keywords

drug cartels 100% drug lords 90% arrested 70% killed 70% el chapo 60% mexico 60% jalisco new generation cartel 50% sinaloa cartel 50% los zetas 40% nemesio "el mencho" oseguera cervantes 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Neutral

Score: -0.10

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Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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drug cartels drug lords arrested killed el chapo mexico jalisco new generation cartel sinaloa cartel los zetas nemesio "el mencho" oseguera cervantes

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