Did Sheinbaum execute El Mencho in a helicopter to hide cartel agreements?
National Action Party Senator Lilly Téllez accused President Claudia Sheinbaum of orchestrating the military operation that killed narcoterrorist Nemecio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes.
A political firestorm erupted this week after National Action Party (PAN) Senator Lilly Téllez accused President Claudia Sheinbaum of orchestrating the military operation that killed narcoterrorist Nemecio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes. Téllez alleged the goal was not to arrest him, but to conceal alleged political ties between the governing MORENA party and organized crime.
El Mencho was the notorious leader of the powerful Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación, which retaliated with attacks across Puerto Vallarta. As reported by Juno News, the cartel has a recognized presence in Canada.
Speaking from the Senate on Feb. 24, Téllez, a vocal opposition figure, said Sheinbaum acted due to pressure from the United States regarding her alleged connections to cartels, rather than a conviction to uphold the rule of law.
“Throughout Mexico we know that this operation was due to the US government putting pressure and pointing out that the cartels govern Mexico,” Téllez said in Spanish.
“Sheinbaum was forced to do something, because she could no longer stand the pressure.” She added that she regretted the decision to kill El Mencho instead of capturing him alive, saying Mexico’s Armed Forces “have the capability to arrest and extract El Mencho.”
Téllez went further, alleging the operation was designed to “preserve the narco‑pact,” citing unnamed connections between cartel networks and pr ominent political figures. These figures include Alejandro Esquer, a former private secretary to ex‑President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, as well as Senator Adán Augusto López Hernández.
The claims remain unproven and have been denied by Sheinbaum and her allies, but the allegations are putting her administration under renewed scrutiny.
The government’s version of events stands in stark contrast. On Feb. 25, Secretary of National Defence Ricardo Trevilla stated El Mencho was mortally wounded during a security forces operation and later died aboard a military helicopter en route to a hospital.
Trevilla’s remarks framed the outcome as an operational consequence, not a politically motivated killing.
The controversy comes amid continued scrutiny of figures within Mexico’s security apparatus. In September 2025, Hernán Bermúdez Requena, a former security secretary under Governor Adán Augusto López in Tabasco, was detained in Paraguay on charges including criminal association and extortion linked to the regional La Barredora cartel.
López publicly denied any knowledge of criminal links involving Bermúdez.
Téllez’s charges reverberate in a political environment where MORENA holds commanding majorities in both chambers of Congress but faces vocal challenges over its handling of Mexico’s drug war and public security. Opposition lawmakers argue Mexico needs greater transparency and judicial accountability in operations against cartel leaders—concerns now exacerbated by Téllez’s explosive allegations.
International voices have also weighed in. X CEO Elon Musk publicly accused President Sheinbaum on his social media platform of being “beholden to the cartels,” alleging she was “saying what her cartel bosses want her to say.”
The Mexican presidency has reportedly considered legal action against Musk for defamation, though no filings have yet been confirmed.