A total of 25 members of the Mexican National Guard died on Sunday in the wave of violence that shook several states of the country after the death in a federal operation of El Mencho, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Mexican Security Secretary Omar Guzman reported on Monday. Garcia Harfuch.

Some 70 members of organized crime were arrested for blocking highways in states like Jalisco and Michoacan (west), Garcia Harfuch added, while lamenting the “cowardly attacks” that resulted in the deaths of “25 soldiers.”

Likewise, 30 members of the CJNG cartel lost their lives in the clashes, Garcia Harfuch added at a press conference.

According to the Secretary of Security, several states experienced “violent reactions” from organized crime, such as blockades, vehicle burnings, and attacks on gas stations, as well as attacks against authorities.

A total of 27 attacks against security forces were recorded, six of which occurred in Jalisco (western Mexico), where 25 soldiers, a guard, and a member of the state Attorney General's Office were killed.

Furthermore, in Michoacan, a neighboring state to Jalisco, there were 15 armed attacks in which 15 members of state and local law enforcement agencies were wounded. Garcia Harfuch detailed that most of the blockades had been removed and that, for the moment, there were no reports of new blockades on Monday. "The main roads were cleared, and the remaining affected areas are under operational control and being fully cleared. Eighty-five blockades were reported on federal highways in Baja California, the State of Mexico, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Jalisco, Oaxaca, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and Zacatecas," the Secretary of Security stated. Security forces responded to these incidents in cooperation with local authorities, with the objective of “containing the actions of criminal groups and protecting the public.” “To clear roads and restore mobility,” the official added. As a result, Harfuch indicated, “by the end of the day there would no longer be any violent incidents in the country like those recorded yesterday, Sunday."The killing of El Mencho was based on intelligence provided by the United States, according to the Mexican Ministry of Defense. Washington accused him of leading a "reign of terror" in Mexico and destroying "countless lives" through fentanyl trafficking, and offered up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction. Under his command, the CJNG expanded its presence in Mexico and strengthened drug trafficking routes, including fentanyl to the United States, which placed him among the most wanted drug traffickers in both countries.