Mexican President Eyes Lawsuit Against Musk Over Cartel Control Claims

(MENAFN) Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is exploring legal action against tech billionaire Elon Musk following explosive claims by the world's richest man that she operates under the command of drug cartels — a confrontation that has thrust Mexico's deepening security crisis onto the global stage.

The dispute ignited on Monday when Musk took to social media to respond to a resurfaced 2025 clip in which Sheinbaum publicly opposed an all-out military offensive against Mexico's powerful trafficking organizations.

In the video, Sheinbaum declared: "Returning to the war against the narco is not an option… it is permission to kill without any trial." Musk fired back, asserting she was "saying what her cartel bosses tell her to say," and adding that "their punishment for disobedience is a little worse than a 'performance improvement plan'."

The remarks drew swift condemnation from Mexico City. Addressing journalists on Tuesday, Sheinbaum confirmed she was "considering whether to take legal action" and that "the lawyers are looking into it." She forcefully dismissed allegations that she presides over a "narco-government" as "absurd" and "laughable," while facing mounting scrutiny over her national security strategy amid an eruption of cartel violence across the country.

The spark for the online clash was the killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes — feared cartel kingpin widely known as El Mencho — who was eliminated in a joint US-Mexican military operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco last week. As head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico's most formidable and ruthless trafficking empires, El Mencho presided over an organization accused of flooding the United States with massive quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Washington designated the group a foreign terrorist organization last year.

His elimination sent shockwaves through Mexico's underworld. Retaliatory cartel violence rapidly engulfed Jalisco and spread to at least eight additional states, with footage circulating widely online showing vehicles and commercial buildings consumed by flames. Armed cartel operatives blockaded highways, torched cars, and ransacked businesses in a coordinated show of force that left authorities scrambling to restore order.

The chaos has also raised urgent alarm over Mexico's ability to safely host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer, with clashes between military forces and cartel factions intensifying fears about stability and civilian security ahead of the globally watched tournament.

The current unrest carries grim historical echoes. A sweeping military crackdown launched in 2006 under then-President Felipe Calderon shattered existing cartel hierarchies, triggering brutal turf wars as splintered factions battled for dominance — a cycle of bloodshed that analysts argue still underpins Mexico's persistently elevated homicide rates nearly two decades later.

Sheinbaum, who has built her security doctrine around social intervention rather than direct military confrontation, pushed back firmly against suggestions that last week's operation signals a strategic pivot toward a more aggressive posture. The Mexican leader expressed confidence that order would be progressively restored, even as critics questioned whether her administration is equipped to contain the fallout from one of the most significant cartel disruptions in recent memory.

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