Mexican drug lord Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, commonly known as "El Mencho," was killed in a military operation, officials announced on Sunday, Feb. 22, the latest victory in Mexico's war on drug cartels amid U.S. intervention threats.

Mexico's defense ministry said a shootout in Tapalpa, Jalisco, left Oseguera seriously injured, and he died during an air transfer to Mexico City. Six other cartel members were killed and two were arrested in the military operation.

"Various weapons and armored vehicles were seized, including rocket launchers capable of shooting down aircraft and destroying armored vehicles," Mexican officials said, adding that the authorities in the United States provided "complementary information."

A former police officer, Oseguera was the shadowy leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, an outfit named for the western state that is home to one of Mexico's biggest cities, Guadalajara. Over a relatively short period of time, the cartel transformed into an international criminal enterprise rivaling former allies in the Sinaloa Cartel, the gang of captured kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, now in a U.S. prison.

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