(Epoch Times) At least 25 members of the Mexican National Guard were left dead in Jalisco in six attacks after the killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the country’s top security official said on Feb. 23.

Mexico Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch confirmed the death toll in a news conference along with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday morning, responding to cartel violence that erupted after Oseguera Cervantes was killed in a Sunday operation carried out by the Mexican government.

Also killed were a prison guard, an agent from the state prosecutor’s office, and a woman who was not identified, Garcia Harfuch said. He also said that some 30 criminal suspects were killed in Jalisco state and four others in Michoacan state.

El Mencho’s death triggered “27 cowardly attacks against authorities in Jalisco,” Harfuch said at the president’s daily press conference on Monday, adding that at least 70 people were arrested in seven states.

“We are closely monitoring for any kind of reaction or restructuring within the cartel that could lead to violence,” he said.

On Sunday evening, the White House confirmed on X that the U.S. government provided intelligence to Mexico ahead of the raid targeting Oseguera Cervantes, who had been the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). In the post, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also praised the Mexican army for taking down one of the most wanted criminals in both countries.

“In this operation, three additional cartel members were killed, three were wounded, and two were arrested,”  she wrote.

Oseguera Servantes’s death triggered waves of violence across Mexico, as cartel operatives blocked roads, burned cars, and launched retaliatory attacks. Buildings were set on fire in multiple cities, and there were shootouts with Mexican officials.

President Donald Trump has demanded that Mexico do more to fight the smuggling of the often-deadly drug fentanyl, warning he could impose more tariffs or take unilateral military action if the country’s efforts don’t show results.

The State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the cartel leader’s arrest and conviction, describing CJNG as among the fastest-growing drug organizations in Mexico after it was founded in 2009. In 2025, the Trump administration designated CJNG and other major drug cartels in Mexico as foreign terrorist organizations.