The Take: What El Mencho’s death means for Mexico’s cartels
Mexico kills cartel leader El Mencho. Violence erupts nationwide. What changes now?
![A police officer mans a gun atop a vehicle as workers (not pictured) remove the wreckage of a trailer used to block a highway after a series of blockades and attacks by organized crime following a military operation in which cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera, "El Mencho," was killed, in Ecuandureo, Mexico, February 23, 2026. [Ivan Arias/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-02-24T002512Z_2033789_RC2KRJAPZZMO_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-VIOLENCE-MENCHO-1771965549.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Mexico says it killed El Mencho, leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Within hours, highways burned and violence spread across multiple states. His death is being called a victory, but removing a kingpin doesn’t dismantle a cartel. What changes now for Mexico, and what doesn’t?
In this episode:
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Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Noor Wazwaz, Sonia Bhagat, and Marcos Bartolome, with Spencer Cline, Tamara Khandaker, Tuleen Barakat and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Sari el-Khalili.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhemm. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.
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