What comes next will not resemble a clean succession. It will be a struggle over who holds the center of gravity inside the organization, and that result is not preordained. Many Mexicans fear a troubling third scenario: a bloody power struggle that fragments the cartel, opening new fronts of conflict in an already volatile criminal landscape.
Days after cartel violence, destruction, and anxiety gripped towns across Mexico a sense of normalcy appears to be returning to many parts of the country. The unrest in 20 Mexican states was in connection with the killing of the powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, 'El Mencho.' The violence led to mass flight cancellations, the shuttering of entire towns, and an order for American travelers to shelter in place.
