Introduction: The Day the Rules Changed
Imagine you are playing a game of tag on a school playground. There is a rule: "No pushing, only talking." This was Mexico’s rule for a long time. They called it "Abrazos, No Balazos" or "Hugs, Not Bullets." The idea was that if the government was kind and helped people find jobs, the bad guys (the cartels) would stop being bad.
But on February 22, 2026, the world woke up to a huge shock. The biggest "bully" on the playground, a man named Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, was killed in a military raid. He was the leader of the CJNG, one of the most dangerous groups in the world.
For years, Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, said that going to war with these groups was wrong. She said it was "unlawful" and even "fascist"—which is a big word for a government that uses too much power and doesn't follow the law. She believed that everyone, even bad people, deserved a fair trial in a courtroom.
So, why did she change her mind? Why did the "hugs" turn into "bullets" on a Sunday morning in Tapalpa? In this documentary, we are going to look behind the curtain. We will see how pressure from the United States, threats of expensive taxes (tariffs), and the scary power of the cartels forced a President to break her biggest promise. This isn't just a story about a bad guy; it’s a story about a country trying to decide if you can really stop a fire without using water.
Chapter 1: Who Was El Mencho?
To understand why this news is so big, we first have to understand who El Mencho was. Imagine a man who has more money than most kings, more soldiers than some small countries, and more power than the local police. That was El Mencho. He was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
His group didn't just sell illegal things. They acted like a "fake government." In many parts of Mexico, if you wanted to open a shop or build a house, you didn't ask the mayor—you had to ask the CJNG. They had their own "armored cars" that looked like tanks, and they used drones with bombs to fight their enemies.
El Mencho was a ghost. For years, no one knew exactly where he was. He hid in the mountains and forests. He was so powerful that in 2015, his men even shot down a military helicopter. Because he was so scary, the regular police were often too afraid to stop him.
But the real reason he became so "famous" was how he changed the business. He moved away from old-fashioned things and started making something very dangerous called Fentanyl. This is a tiny, powerful chemical that was making thousands of people sick in the United States. Because of this, the U.S. government put a $10 million reward on his head. That’s like winning the lottery just for finding one person!
In this chapter, we see that the CJNG wasn't just a gang; it was a "parallel government." They built schools, gave out food during holidays, and then used that same power to hurt anyone who stood in their way. For a 10-year-old to understand: imagine a bully who gives you a candy bar but then tells you that you can never leave the playground. That was the "Shadow King" of Mexico.
Chapter 2: The "Hugs" Philosophy – Why Sheinbaum Said No to War
Now, let’s talk about the President, Claudia Sheinbaum. She is a scientist and a leader who wanted to do things differently. Before she became President, she watched Mexico go through a lot of fighting. Since 2006, more than 400,000 people had lost their lives because of the "War on Drugs."
Sheinbaum, along with the President before her, believed that fighting violence with more violence was like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. They called their plan "Hugs, Not Bullets." When people asked her, "Why don't you just send the army and catch El Mencho?" she had a very specific answer. She said that a war against the narcos was "unlawful and fascist." Let’s break that down for a moment.
Unlawful: It means it goes against the rules of the country (the Constitution). She believed that if the government kills people without a trial, the government is also breaking the law.
Fascist: This is a word for a government that uses force to get what it wants, ignoring the rights of the people.
Sheinbaum argued that every person—even a cartel leader—deserves "due process." That means they should be arrested, taken to a judge, and given a chance to speak. She didn't want "death squads" or "shoot-outs" in the streets where innocent people might get hurt.
Her critics—people who disagreed with her—said she was being too soft. They said, "You can't hug a tiger!" But Sheinbaum stood her ground for a long time. She believed that by building better schools and helping families, the "roots" of the crime would go away. But as we will see in the next chapter, a very loud voice from the North was about to change everything.
Chapter 3: The Big Pressure – Trump, Tariffs, and Terrorists
Imagine you have a neighbor who is very loud and very powerful. One day, he knocks on your door and says, "If you don't clean up your yard, I am going to make you pay for it, and I might even come over and do it myself." That is what happened between the United States and Mexico in late 2025 and early 2026.
U.S. President Donald Trump was very worried about the drugs coming into his country. He told Mexico that the "Hugs" policy was failing. He put three big "threats" on the table:
Tariffs (The Penalty Fee): He threatened to put a 25% tax on everything Mexico sells to the U.S. (like cars, avocados, and TVs). This would make Mexico very poor very quickly.
Terrorist Label: He threatened to call the cartels "Foreign Terrorist Organizations." This sounds like just a name, but it’s actually a "key" that lets the U.S. military send their own planes and soldiers into Mexico.
Unilateral Action: He said if Mexico didn't kill or catch the leaders, the U.S. would do it without asking.
President Sheinbaum was in a "trap." If she kept her promise of "Hugs, Not Bullets," her country’s economy would crash because of the tariffs. If she let the U.S. military come into Mexico, she would lose her power as a leader.
This is where the "Necessary Evil" comes in. Behind closed doors, it is believed that the U.S. and Mexico started sharing secret information—like using satellites and "listening devices"—to track El Mencho. Sheinbaum had to decide: Is it better to break my promise about "no war," or is it better to let my whole country suffer? She chose to act.
Chapter 4: The Night in Tapalpa – The End of El Mencho
On the night of February 22, 2026, the quiet town of Tapalpa, Jalisco, was woken up by the sound of heavy metal blades cutting through the air. Black Hawk helicopters were flying low. These weren't just regular soldiers; these were Mexico's "Special Forces"—the best of the best.
This was not a "hug." This was a surgical strike.
The soldiers knew exactly where El Mencho was. They had "intelligence" (secret info) from the U.S. government that told them which house he was hiding in. For a 10-year-old, imagine a game of Hide-and-Seek where the seeker has X-ray vision. El Mencho didn't stand a chance.
The battle didn't last very long, but it was very intense. When the sun came up, the news spread like wildfire: The leader of the CJNG was dead. This was a huge "prize" for President Sheinbaum. By killing El Mencho, she could tell President Trump, "See? We are doing our job. Please don't put taxes on our cars." She could also tell the Mexican people that she was finally making the country safe.
But there was a problem. Remember how she said killing narcos without a trial was "fascist"? By allowing this raid, she did exactly what she said she would never do. She didn't bring him to a judge; she sent the army to finish the job. This is why people call it a "Broken Promise." She won the battle, but she lost her "moral" argument. The era of "Hugs" was officially buried in the mountains of Jalisco.
Chapter 5: The Aftermath – A Safer World or a Bigger Fire?
In a movie, when the villain dies, the credits roll and everyone is happy. But in real life, it’s much more complicated. As soon as El Mencho was killed, the "bullets" started flying everywhere.
The CJNG didn't just disappear. They got angry. They started setting fire to buses and trucks to block the roads. They wanted to show the government that even without their "King," they still had "Knights" and "Soldiers."
Now, Mexico is facing a big question: Was it worth it?
The "Necessary Evil" side says Yes: They say you can't have a country if a cartel is more powerful than the President. Killing El Mencho was the only way to stop the "Shadow Government" and keep the U.S. from interfering.
The "Broken Promise" side says No: They say that by killing him, the government has started a "War of 1,000 Pieces." Now, instead of one big cartel, there might be ten smaller ones fighting each other, which could make the streets even more dangerous for regular families.
For our 10-year-old viewers, think of it like this: If you take away the leader of a mean group at school, sometimes the rest of the group stops being mean. But sometimes, they all start fighting to see who the new leader will be.
President Sheinbaum is now trying to explain that this wasn't a "War on Narcos," but a "Special Operation for Peace." But the world can see the truth: the policy of "Hugs" is gone. Mexico has entered a new chapter where bullets are back, and the future is still very uncertain.
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