Cartel Boss Killed by Mexican State Police in Jalisco

A regional cartel boss in Jalisco on the run for more than two years died in a hail of gunfire while trying to escape from Mexican security forces. The gun battle took place in Lagos de Jalisco.

Known as “El Tun Tun”, 33-year-old Leobardo (last name unknown) N, was described by the Jalisco Attorney General’s Office as the regional boss for Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), responsible for more than 30 cartel-ordered hit jobs. El Tun Tun is a suspect in a recent execution of five police officers in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. In Jalisco, El Tun Tun earned various arrest warrants on murder and drug trafficking charges.

The cartel kingpin was killed when he tried to escape after Mexican authorities located him driving along a local highway. After refusing to stop, police chased El Tun Tun and a short gun battle ensued–where the cartel kingpin died and a woman was injured.

Prior to the operation that killed him, El Tun Tun was able to evade six previous targeting operations. The cartel kingpin was known for having his rivals captured, murdered, and tossed into a well on a ranch used by the CJNG.  Government officials continue to search CJNG properties to locate human remains.

Mexican authorities believe Tun Tun directly controlled most of the organized crime in Jalisco and in parts of Guanajuato, where the CJNG is believed to be heavily involved in the theft of fuel. Breitbart Texas reported on Mexican drug cartels turning to fuel theft as an alternative revenue stream.

Once a little known criminal organization, under the leadership of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the CJNG went from being an offshoot of the Sinaloa Cartel to one of the top players in Mexico. The CJNG earned a reputation for extreme violence toward other cartels and Mexican authorities alike. In 2015, the CJNG was behind a deadly ambush where 15 police officers were killed, Breitbart Texas reported.

Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.)