Mexican resort town, airport under siege after army kills major Jalisco New Generation cartel leader
A major Mexican resort town was under siege on Sunday and an airport was reportedly attacked after the leader of the brutal Jalisco New Generation Cartel was killed by the army on Sunday.
Tourists in Puerto Vallarta were warned to stay indoors as narco gangs lashed out following the death of drug kingpin Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the powerful boss of the violent crime outfit.
The US State Department urged Americans to shelter in place.
“Federal forces carried out an operation in Tapalpa a few hours ago, which has led to clashes in the area,” Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro said on X. “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 authorities.”
The chaos has hotels in the Pacific Ocean vacation spot of Puerto Vallarta holed up inside their hotels as cars and barricades burn in the streets.
There was also a gunfire at Guadalajara International Airport, news outlet Guardia Nocturna reported.
One video posted online showed travelers fleeing the terminal.
Smoke could be seen rising from the streets in both places where the cartel burned vehicles and set up roadblocks.
Authorities have called in backup from federal forces to combat the violent.
Oseguera Cervantes, a sixth-grade dropout, became one of Mexico’s most feared cartel bosses following the arrest and conviction of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman by US authorities.
Oseguera Cervantes, 53, was killed in Tapalpa in Jalisco during a raid by Mexican forces, Spanish-language news outlet Milenio reported Sunday.
Following his death, cartel gunmen launched assaults in Jalisco, Michoacan, Tamaulipas, Colima, Guanajuato and Aguescalientes, as well as Veracruz, the local outlets said.
