Reporting from Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco—At least 13 states in Mexico woke up to explosions and fumes on Sunday morning.
Local news and community accounts report that Cartel Nueva Generacion Jalisco (CJNG) is in the midst of conducting widespread retaliatory attacks against the federal capture and killing of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, commonly referred to by his alias, “El Mencho,” in Tapalpa, Jalisco, around 7 a.m. this morning.
Reports are coming in of widespread chaos across Jalisco, which was the epicenter, and neighboring regions. Videos from Puerto Vallarta, where most of the early footage first arrived from, show narco-blockades with burning vehicles and homemade spike strips and blocking highways; shootouts between cartel gunmen and private security forces, and thick black smoke rising over areas like Puerto Vallarta, including reports of almost every OXXO convenience store and gas station in the coastal city estimated to have half a million residents.
Reports have come in that the Costco in Puerto Vallarta has also been burned down.
Multiple videos show ordinary people hiding themselves at the Guadalajara International Airport, and others experiencing sudden flight disruptions, amid videos and alleged early reports of gunmen invading the national airport in Mexico’s second-largest city.
Similar unrest has reportedly spread to Guanajuato, Michoacán, Colima, Nayarit, and potentially to other states like Veracruz and Baja, according to early reports.
Videos and eyewitness accounts on social media show columns of black smoke, charred vehicles, and people sheltering in place in Puerto Vallarta. In an age of rapidly spreading AI videos, not all accounts and videos have been verified, but on the ground, contacts of L.A. TACO in Guadalajara and the coastal Jalisco region have confirmed armed groups enforce blockades and clashes with authorities.
The Mexican Defense Ministry (SEDENA) confirmed the operation in the mountain town of Tapalpa—about two hours away from Guadalajara—that is reported to have killed EL Mencho. Reports are coming in saying that he was injured in a gun battle and died in transit to Mexico City.
According to its post on X, Mexico’s Special Forces, supported by Air Force aircraft and National Guard units, targeted El Mencho based on intelligence. They have also confirmed that U.S. ground forces participated in the operation in addition to the intelligence provided.
Military personnel came under attack, repelled it, and killed six other CJNG members on site, seizing rocket launchers and armored vehicles, and detaining two other individuals.
El Mencho was reportedly among three seriously wounded people who died in the air en route to Mexico City for treatment. Official identification is pending, but sources, including the U.S. State Department and multiple outlets, treat his death as confirmed.
Jalisco authorities declared a "Code Red" statewide, with Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro advising residents to stay home and avoid travel.
Unverified, leaked messages attributed to CJNG, and according to Mexican security expert Ed Calderón, threaten escalated violence that targets civilians, hotels, and anyone on the streets unless those responsible for El Mencho's death are handed over—though authenticity remains unconfirmed.
El Mencho was the last of the old guard—the final mass-trafficking titan standing alongside El Chapo and El Mayo—now fallen, marking the end of an era in Mexican organized crime. The era, typified by fame and big names splashed across books, TV shows, and international arrest warrants, began around 1990, the time in which El Chapo rose to prominence.
The situation in Mexico remains highly fluid, with the potential for further power struggles within CJNG factions or from rival groups attempting to exploit the power vacuum. No reports of civilian deaths as of the publishing of this story. Nor has Mexico’s President made any appearances at the current time.
This is a developing story.
*Correction on February 23: An earlier report stated that the U.S. supported in-ground support. Claudia Sheinbaum stated earlier today that they were only involved through the intelligence they provided that led to El Mencho's capture.
