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The Mexican Army said today that it had killed influential drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes in a military operation, Agence France-Presse reported.
The drug lord, who was known by his nickname El Mencho and who was wanted by the United States, led the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel.
The army said El Mencho was wounded during an operation in the western Mexican state of Jalisco and died during his air transfer to Mexico City.
The cartel, which is believed to be involved in trafficking fentanyl and other drugs to the United States, is developing extensive criminal activity in the state of Jalisco, the Associated Press added.
During the operation, Mexican soldiers engaged in a gunfight with cartel members, killing four of them. Three others, including Nemesio Oseguera, were wounded and later died, Mexico's Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Two other members of the Jalisco Nueva Generación were arrested. Cartel vehicles and weapons, including rocket launchers, were seized.
Three servicemen were injured and are receiving medical attention.
Videos circulating on social media show plumes of smoke rising above the resort town of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco.
Roads in the state were burning blocked for several hours by vehicles - a common tactic used by cartels to hinder Mexican authorities' operations, the AP said.
Meanwhile, Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus has urged residents to stay home, and public transportation has been suspended.
The US State Department had previously offered a $15 million reward for information leading to the capture of El Mencho. The Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, one of the most powerful and rapidly growing criminal organizations in Mexico, was created in 2009.
In February last year, the administration of US President Donald Trump declared the cartel a foreign terrorist organization.
