Violence erupted in Mexico after cartel leader killed. What to know.
Violence erupted in Mexico after cartel leader killed. What to know.
Rebecca Morin, USA TODAYMon, February 23, 2026 at 11:36 PM UTC
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Locals and tourists in the Puerto Vallarta area are still on alert despite other areas of Mexico returning to normal following a wave of retaliatory violence after government forces killed a powerful cartel leader over the weekend.
Authorities announced Sunday, Feb. 22, that the Mexican military killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, commonly known as "El Mencho."
The death triggered "27 cowardly attacks against authorities in Jalisco," Mexican Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch told reporters on Monday. He said that 30 cartel operatives were killed, as well as one bystander and at least 70 people were arrested in seven states.
Here’s what to know.
1 / 0Photos show Mexico unrest after cartel leader 'El Mencho' killed
After Mexican officials announced a powerful Mexican cartel leader was killed during a military operation on Sunday, several regions of the country are grappling with ongoing security risks and unrest.Police officers secure the area where vehicles were set on fire by organized crime members to block a road following a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, commonly known as "El Mencho," was killed, in Zapopan, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2026.
Where are there shelter-in-place advisories?
The U.S. State Department on Monday, Feb. 23, urged U.S. citizens to shelter in places if they were in Jalisco State, where Puerto Vallarta, a popular beach town, is located, and Nayarit, which is near Puerto Vallarta.
Multiple airlines are now operating from Guadalajara and from Puerto Vallarta as of Monday, Feb. 23, according to the State Department. Several airlines, including Air Canada, United Airlines and Aeromexico, had canceled flights to the area due to the violence.
The State Department on Feb. 23 said it “fielded hundreds of calls" from travelers in Mexico with "most pertaining to flight cancellations." The call center is operating 24/7, the State Department said.
People line up to find out about their flight status due to cancellations a day after a series of blockades and attacks by organized crime following a military operation in which cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera, "El Mencho," was killed, at Guadalajara International Airport, in Tlajomulco de Zuniga, Mexico, February 23, 2026.How was ‘El Mencho’ caught?
Mexican Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla Trejo told reporters that a close associate of El Mencho, who was known to the Mexican military, on Feb. 20 delivered one of the kingpin Oseguera Cervantes's romantic partners to a property in the pine-studded vacation spot of Tapalpa in Jalisco state. Authorities tracked their movements.
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The paramour met with her secretive boyfriend, stayed overnight and left the property on Feb. 21. Oseguera Cervantes stayed behind with his personal security detail.
Ground troops moved in Feb. 22, under the cover of darkness. The intention, Trevilla Trejo said, was to "detain" El Mencho. From intelligence, the defense minister said the military knew the kingpin's security detail was heavily armed – outfitted with long arms and rocket launchers – and troops planned for a siege.
Oseguera Cervantes and at least two bodyguards fled toward cabins in the pine woods outside of Tapalpa, Trevilla Trejo said. Special forces found him hidden in the brush and four men were fatally wounded in the firefight: El Mencho, two bodyguards and a Mexican military officer.
Who was 'El Mencho'?
Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, commonly known as "El Mencho," rose through the ranks and launched a deadly coup to become the leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
Who is "El Mencho" and how he rose from cartel assassin to leading the Jalisco New Generation Cartel with global reach and violent influence.
The criminal enterprise rapidly grew into a continent-spanning empire that rivaled its former allies in the Sinaloa Cartel, run by kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who is serving life in prison.
He was born Rubén Oseguera Cervantes on July 17, 1966, in the small farming city of Aguililla in the western state of Michoacán, according to The Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. He later adopted the name Nemesio, some say to honor his godfather. It was shortened to "El Mencho" and has no other known meaning.
Contributing: Lauren Villagran, Francesca Chambers, Greta Cross and N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY; Beth Warren, USA TODAY Network
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Violence erupted in Mexico after cartel leader killed. What to know.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
