Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday her government is weighing legal action against Elon Musk after the billionaire accused her, without evidence, of having ties to drug cartels after the killing of a major cartel leader.

Musk made the allegation in a post on X responding to a resurfaced 2025 video in which Sheinbaum discussed cartel violence and rejected a return to a militarized crackdown. 

"Returning to the war against the narco is not an option. First, because it is outside the framework of the law," she said in the clip.

The video was shared by an X user who asked, "She’s a cartel plant right?"

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"She’s just saying what her cartel bosses tell her to say," Musk replied. "Let’s just say that their punishment for disobedience is a little worse than ‘a performance improvement plan.’"

Sheinbaum responded to the comments during her daily morning press conference, saying her government was evaluating its options.

"We are considering whether to take legal action," she said, adding that government lawyers were reviewing the matter.

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Musk’s post came after Mexican security forces captured and killed Nemesio Oseguera, known as "El Mencho," the longtime leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, in an operation that triggered roadblocks and arson attacks in parts of the country.

A military offensive against cartels launched in 2006 by former President Felipe Calderón led to bloody turf battles as gangs splintered, fueling a spiral of violence that analysts say contributed to Mexico’s persistently high homicide rates.

Asked whether the operation against Oseguera signaled a shift toward a more aggressive security posture, Sheinbaum rejected that notion.

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"The detention of a suspected criminal with an arrest warrant can generate this type of circumstance, but we are looking for peace, not war," she said.

Ruling Morena party President Luisa Alcalde also criticized Musk’s remarks, urging him to use his platform to address drug consumption, addiction, disinformation and the promotion of narco culture.

"Wealth does not give moral authority," she said. "The lives that are lost in this fight, often fueled by consumption in other countries, are worth infinitely more than any fortune amassed in Silicon Valley."

More than 130,000 people are listed as missing in Mexico, where much of the violence is linked to drug cartels that sell narcotics to the U.S. and obtain guns from across the border.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Ruben "Nemesio" Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," the powerful leader of the Mexican Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) who rose to prominence after the fall of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the former head of the rival Sinaloa Cartel, was killed Sunday in a Mexican military operation, authorities said.

Under Oseguera’s leadership, CJNG expanded aggressively across Mexico, battling Sinaloa for control of key trafficking corridors into the United States and cementing its status as one of the world’s most formidable drug trafficking organizations.

His death marks the fall of one of the most influential and elusive cartel bosses of the post–El Chapo era, long viewed by U.S. and Mexican officials as a central architect of fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said he had been informed that Mexican security forces killed Oseguera, calling it a significant victory.

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"I’ve just been informed that Mexican security forces have killed ‘El Mencho,’ one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins," Landau wrote on X. "This is a great development for Mexico, the U.S., Latin America and the world. The good guys are stronger than the bad guys."

A senior State Department official separately confirmed Oseguera’s death and referred to Landau’s remarks.

The State Department issued a travel alert Sunday for multiple areas of Mexico, urging U.S. citizens to shelter in place due to "ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity," including parts of Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo León.

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Oseguera, a former police officer, helped found CJNG around 2009 after splintering from the Sinaloa Cartel. In the years that followed, the group evolved from a regional faction into one of the most dominant trafficking networks in the world.

U.S. authorities steadily increased the reward for information leading to his capture, at one point offering up to $15 million, placing him among the most wanted fugitives globally.

Former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official Paul Craine once described Oseguera as "public enemy No. 1" and said he commanded an "army of thousands."

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Authorities have linked him to coordinated attacks on Mexican security forces, including a 2015 assault in Jalisco in which cartel gunmen used rocket-propelled grenades to bring down a military helicopter.

Over time, CJNG gained a reputation for projecting strength through public displays of force and social media messaging, reinforcing its position as one of Mexico’s most feared criminal organizations.

His death removes one of the most dominant figures in Mexico’s criminal underworld and could reshape the balance of power among rival cartels.