With the death of Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, better known as "El Mencho" — one of Mexico's most powerful drug lords — the government's long-standing policy of rapprochement with drug cartels appears to have ended. While US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau hailed the operation as a "great development for Mexico, the United States, Latin America and the entire world," concerns are now on the rise over the prospect of a new drug war in the country. Suspected members of El Mencho'