CIA provides intel to Mexico on location of cartel leader

The CIA and other US intelligence agencies provided information to Mexican authorities that helped them locate Mexico's most wanted cartel leader, enabling Mexican special forces to carry out the operation that resulted in his death, reported The New York Times, citing US officials.

Mexican officials said on Monday that they had identified the location of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the longtime leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as El Mencho, by monitoring an individual in a romantic relationship with him.

Authorities explained that they first tracked someone in the associate's close circle, which eventually led them to a meeting between the woman and El Mencho at the cartel leader's hideout.

Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, Mexico's secretary of defense, stated that the intelligence regarding the associate originated from the Mexican Army's elite intelligence unit.

However, he also acknowledged that Mexican authorities relied on "complementary information" provided by US agencies to monitor the cartel boss' network of contacts.

One of the individuals briefed on the operation said the information provided by the CIA had been "instrumental in removing" the cartel leader.

Those familiar with the mission declined to specify how the intelligence was obtained, noting that the agency employs a range of collection methods, including human informants, aerial surveillance imagery, and intercepted communications.

The US has intensified intelligence-sharing efforts throughout US President Donald Trump's administration and increased pressure on Mexico to act on the information provided.

A Mexican official said the collaboration demonstrated that the government could respond swiftly and effectively to intelligence supplied by US agencies.

Mexican authorities have resisted pressure from US officials seeking joint operations targeting drug labs or cartel leaders, maintaining that Mexican forces are fully capable of executing complex missions on their own.

Some officials added that the killing of El Mencho could strengthen Mexico's position in pushing back against US calls for joint raids or unilateral American drone strikes.