'El Mencho' tracked to secret rendezvous with romantic partner before deadly raid

Mexican authorities tracked down and killed Joaquín "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, the country's most-wanted fentanyl kingpin, on Sunday. The operation began on February 20, targeting El Mencho as part of a larger effort to capture Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes. Intelligence identified a trusted courier or guard connected to one of El Mencho's romantic partners, who was then transported to a designated cabin for an overnight meeting with the cartel leader. The operation resulted in eight deaths, including El Mencho and two of his escorts, as well as two military personnel wounded. El Mencho and his associates fled into a nearby wooded area after soldiers located them, leading to a shootout that left him critically injured. He was later evacuated by helicopter and pronounced dead.