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Mexico’s security forces delivered a major blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel last week when their operation resulted in the death of Nemesio “El Mencho,” the cartel’s feared leader. This is the sort of result hardworking Americans have waited for — a tangible victory against the narco-terrorists who have trafficked poison into our communities for years. Still, this is not a moment for complacency; it is the opening of a dangerous new chapter in a decades-long war.
What followed El Mencho’s death was the predictable but horrifying backlash: cartel foot soldiers set vehicles ablaze, blockaded highways and lashed out across wide swaths of Mexico, turning popular tourist zones into war zones overnight. American travelers were forced to shelter in place in places like Puerto Vallarta and airports suspended flights as chaos spread, underscoring how cartel violence is now an international security problem. The scenes of burning buses and looted stores are a blunt reminder that when criminal empires are struck, they retaliate without mercy.
On The Will Cain Show, former kingpin Margarito “Jay” Flores Jr. warned that the Jalisco cartel will not simply vanish with one leader’s death and predicted attacks on government officials and continued violence. Flores’s hard-earned perspective is chilling but credible: these organizations survive through networks and brutal enforcement, and removing a boss often triggers more bloodshed as rivals and lieutenants scramble for power. We should listen to those who lived inside the beast — they know how it thinks and how it reacts.
The operation that found El Mencho reportedly involved intelligence shared with Mexican forces and highlights the necessity of smart cooperation between our nations to tackle transnational crime. Americans should be proud that our agencies helped make this possible, but we must also demand accountability and follow-through from leaders on both sides of the border to prevent a violent power vacuum from metastasizing. There will be no lasting victory unless Mexico clamps down on cartel infrastructure and the United States hardens its defenses at the entry points these gangs exploit.
Let’s be clear about the threat: the CJNG and other cartels are not quaint criminals — they are multinational drug enterprises responsible for trafficking fentanyl and other deadly substances that have ruined American towns. For too long, permissive policies and porous borders have allowed cartels to ship poison into our neighborhoods, costing lives and fueling addictions that devastate families. If Washington refuses to act — with stronger border security, focused interdiction and real penalties for facilitators — these criminal networks will keep winning.
Patriots should use this moment to push for real solutions, not performative statements. That means funding law enforcement and interdiction, supporting our border agents, and demanding that elected officials stop treating national security like a political talking point. The safety of our children, the future of our communities and the integrity of our nation are at stake — there is no room for half measures.
We owe veterans, families of victims and every taxpayer a rigorous, no-nonsense response: double down on intelligence-sharing, choke off cartel finances, and rebuild deterrence along the border. Americans will not accept living next to a pipeline of death that comes across without consequence, and it’s time our leaders answered that demand with action, not apologies.
