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Nearly two weeks have passed since Mexican authorities eliminated Ruben “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the infamous leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). While the operation marked a significant blow to the cartel, uncertainty lingers regarding how this will affect their operations and the ongoing trafficking of fentanyl into the United States.
Carlos De La Cruz, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force with experience in post-9/11 deployments and service along the southern border, shared his insights with Fox News. He described the death of the cartel leader as a major achievement but cautioned against viewing it as the end of the battle against drug trafficking.
“This is undeniably a significant victory,” De La Cruz emphasized. “El Mencho was at the helm of one of the world’s most violent criminal organizations.”
Rising to power in the aftermath of El Chapo’s era, Oseguera spearheaded CJNG’s rapid expansion throughout Mexico, strategically targeting key drug trafficking routes into the United States. Under his command, the cartel became a primary force in the distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine, leading the U.S. to offer a $15 million reward for his capture.
Images from social media show smoke billowing from burning vehicles following the military operation that reportedly resulted in El Mencho’s death in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on February 22, 2026. The footage, though unofficial, underscores the scale of violence that characterized his reign.
But De La Cruz cautioned that removing a cartel kingpin does not dismantle the organization.
“Cartels don’t collapse when you just cut the head off — they fracture,” he said. “And part of that fracture is going to see a lot of short-term violence while all these factions fight over territory.”
Following Oseguera’s killing on Feb. 22, the U.S. State Department issued travel alerts in multiple Mexican states, citing road blockages and criminal activity tied to security operations, underscoring concerns about instability in the aftermath.
Drawing on his military background studying enemy command structures, De La Cruz described the cartel fight as a long-term campaign requiring sustained pressure.
A mughsot of Ruben “Nemesio” Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” beside graffiti depicting the letters of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, covering the facade of an abandoned home in El Limoncito, in the Michoacan state of Mexico. (Eduardo Verdugo/AP Images; Drug Enforcement Administration)
“You don’t win a war with just one airstrike,” he said. “The goal is dismantling the networks and going after their financing.”
De La Cruz, who is running for Congress and is the brother of Texas Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, argued that CJNG’s Foreign Terrorist Organization designation gives U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies expanded tools to target cartel infrastructure and financial pipelines.
A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on fire in Cointzio, Michoacán state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (Armando Solis/AP Photo)
But he stressed that the fentanyl crisis should be viewed as a domestic security emergency, not a distant foreign problem.
“For decades, they were using their territories as launching pads to pump chemical weapons into America — because that’s exactly what fentanyl is,” he said.
De La Cruz, who said he worked side by side with Customs agents while deployed to the border, warned that cartel networks are highly adaptive and that any gains could be temporary without sustained follow-through.
Smoke rises after violence hit Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. (Courtesy of Scott Posilkin)
“These networks, they’re going to adjust. They’re going to adapt and they’re going to adapt quickly,” he said. “We have to continue to go after the money launderers, especially on our side of the border, because that’s the full fight.”
While Oseguera’s death removes one of the most dominant figures in Mexico’s criminal underworld, De La Cruz said the mission is personal.
“I took an oath to defend this country,” he said. “And I intend to stand by that oath.”
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
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