Hours after drug lord Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho, was killed, massive chaos broke out in several Mexican states. Air Canada suspended its operation to Mexico’s Puerto Vallarta, the seaside city of Jalisco state where El Mencho was killed. El Mencho was wanted by the US but there was initially no information on whether FBI was part of the operation that gunned down El Mencho. Mexican news sites said El Mencho was killed by the military though the operation only intended to capture El Mencho. Later, the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense confirmed that in addition to the central military intelligence efforts, within the framework of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the USA, complementary information was provided by US authorities.
Reports claimed that a gunfight started when the military went to capture El Mencho, resulting in his death. In response to El Mencho’s killing, his CJNG cartel, the biggest in Mexico, initiated widespread blockades across six Mexican states. The Mexican authorities declared ‘code red’ mobilization as at least 15 cities reported cartel-linked unrest.
Tourists told ‘don’t come out of resort’
While shootings were reported at airports, throwing travelers into panic, tourists in Puerto Vallarta were told not to leave their resort, as a government official warned of clashes.
The tourists said they were not given any reason for the alert. The US State Department issued a travel warning for multiple areas in Mexico urging US citizens to shelter in place until further notice due to “ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity”. The travel warning was issued for parts of Jalisco State, including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala and Guadalajara; Tamaulipas State, including Reynosa and other municipalities; and areas of Michoacan State, Guerrero State and Nuevo Leon State.
Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro announced in a post on X that federal forces carried out an “operation” in the town of Tapalpa earlier Sunday, which led to “clashes” in the area. “Also as a result of said operation, in various points of that region and in other parts of Jalisco, individuals have burned and blocked vehicles with the aim of hindering the actions of the authorities,” Navarro wrote in the post in Spanish.
