Street battles have erupted after the military targeted a powerful kingpin known as ‘El Mencho’
Battles between cartel gunmen and security forces have broken out in multiple cities across Mexico after a top drug kingpin was killed by the military. Airports were locked down and thousands of tourists confined to their hotels and resorts as gunmen ran rampage over city streets, burning cars, shooting and looting.
On Sunday, Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense announced that its special forces had killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as ‘El Mencho’, the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Cervantes died from his wounds as a result of a military operation to capture him in the town of Tapalpa.
The cartel responded by blocking roads and attacking patrol vehicles, public buildings, banks, transport hibs and threatened to enter tourist resorts.
Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro declared a state of emergency. The violence has quickly spread to the states of Michoacan, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Colima, and Oaxaca.
Atención a la escalada de violencia en México después de que fuerzas federales hayan abatido a “El Mencho” líder del cártel CJNG de Jalisco, el cártel narco más sanguinaria del país.Están atacando infraestructuras públicas y establecimientos privados.pic.twitter.com/n3A6sjE38g
— Julián Macías Tovar (@JulianMaciasT) February 22, 2026
Videos posted to social media show burning vehicles and gunmen on the streets. All flights in and out of the airports of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara have been suspended.
Major clashes involving automatic weapons between Mexican security forces and members of the CJNG Cartel in La Desembocada, on the northern outskirts of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. pic.twitter.com/eocUQyCAxm
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 22, 2026
Graphic videos from the scene show wounded security officials and destroyed patrol vehicles, as well as bodies lying on the ground.
Footage from inside Guadalajara Airport, Mexico’s third largest, shows people running in fear as gunshots go off in the distance.
BREAKING: Guadalajara International Airport thrown into chaos as cartel violence spreads across Jalisco.Travelers seen fleeing terminals while local reports claim coordinated attacks and possible hostages tied to CJNG activity.Developing situation pic.twitter.com/iVF2rg8yGP
— Clown World ™ 🤡 (@ClownWorld) February 22, 2026
Another video shows armed men in body armor pulling up to a gas station in Guadalajara and setting it ablaze.
The US Embassy in Mexico has issued a security alert for the country, urging US citizens to seek shelter, avoid crowds, and be careful.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents to remain calm and stay informed. “In the vast majority of the country, activities are proceeding normally,” she wrote on X.
A US defense official told CBS News that the US played a role in the raid against El Mencho through a joint anti-cartel task force set up by the Mexican military and the US Northern Command. The official described the raid as “a Mexican military operation.”
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