2026 in organized crime

In 2026, a number of events took place in organized crime.

Events

• January 3 – As part of the Operation Southern Spear, and the wider war on drugs, the United States orders airstrikes on Caracas, Venezuela, and captures Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and takes him to New York to be tried on drug and weapons charges. ^[1]
• January 6 – Former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores plead not guilty to charges of drug trafficking and narcoterrorism. ^[2]
• January 12 –
  • Swedish police seize three tonnes of cocaine found in a shipping container from South America at the Port of Helsingborg, making it the country's single-largest seizure of the illegal drug. ^[3]
  • Spanish police, in coordination with the UK National Crime Agency and the US DEA, seize 10 tonnes of cocaine hidden among a cargo of salt on a cargo ship off the Canary Islands. It is the country's largest ever seizure of drugs at sea. Thirteen people on board the vessel are arrested. ^[4]
• January 13 – Mexican police arrest six alleged Tren de Aragua members operating in Mexico City on charges of drug trafficking, extortion, and human trafficking. ^[5]
• January 29 – Eleven members of a Burmese mafia family are executed in China. ^[6]
• February 13 – The United States Armed Forces says it has conducted an airstrike on a boat suspected of transporting illegal narcotics in the Caribbean Sea, killing three people. ^[7]
• February 22 – Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (alias "El Mencho"), leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), is killed during a security operation carried out by the Mexican Armed Forces near Tapalpa, Jalisco. In response, CJNG members launched coordinated retaliatory attacks, including road blockades involving burning vehicles and improvised checkpoints across multiple states. ^[8]

Arts and literature

• Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups

Deaths

• January 8: Tadamasa Goto, 83, Japanese crime boss. ^[9]
• February 22: Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, 59, Mexican drug lord, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (since 2010), shot. ^[10]

See also

• Timeline of the Mexican drug war
• Timeline of organized crime

References

1. "Rubio says US not at war with Venezuela, as Maduro set to appear in New York court on Monday". BBC News. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
2. "Maduro and his wife plead not guilty at first court appearance since capture in Venezuela". NBC News. 6 January 2026. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
3. "Sweden makes record three-ton seizure of cocaine from South America".
4. Jones, Sam (12 January 2026). "Spanish police seize 10 tonnes of cocaine hidden in ship off Canary Islands". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 14 January 2026.
5. "Mexico arrests 6 alleged members of Tren de Aragua and 4 of Jalisco New Generation Cartel". AP News. 13 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
6. "China executes 11 members of Myanmar scam mafia". www.bbc.com. 29 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
7. "US military says it struck a vessel in Caribbean, killing three".
8. Sánchez, Fabiola (22 February 2026). "Mexican army kills leader of powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel during operation to capture him". AP News. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
9. 産経新聞 (12 February 2026). "山口組元幹部、後藤忠政氏が死去 「武闘派」旧後藤組率いる". 産経新聞：産経ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 February 2026.
10. en, Por Nallely SánchezSeguir (22 February 2026). "Abatieron a Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes El Mencho, líder máximo del Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación CJNG". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 22 February 2026.