Airlines canceled flights and the US State Department urged Americans to shelter in place on Sunday after violent clashes erupted in western Mexico following a military operation that killed a powerful drug cartel leader.
Southwest and Alaska Airlines said they canceled flights to and from Puerto Vallarta, while Delta Air Lines issued travel waivers for passengers flying to or from Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. Air Canada also temporarily suspended operations at Puerto Vallarta airport, citing what it described as an “ongoing security situation.”
The US State Department issued a security alert advising American citizens in several Mexican states – including Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero, and Nuevo Leon – to remain indoors until further notice.
The unrest followed an operation by Mexican security forces that killed Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Mexico’s defense ministry said. He was wounded during a raid in the town of Tapalpa in Jalisco state and died while being transported to Mexico City.
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau confirmed the death, describing Oseguera Cervantes as “one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins.”
The operation triggered hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles across Jalisco and neighboring states – a tactic frequently used by cartels to obstruct military actions. Authorities reported that troops came under fire during the raid, killing four individuals, while three others – including Oseguera Cervantes – later died from their wounds. Two suspects were arrested, and armored vehicles, rocket launchers, and other weapons were seized. Three soldiers were wounded.
Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro declared a “code red” emergency, suspended public transportation, and urged residents to stay indoors.
Videos circulating on social media showed smoke rising over Puerto Vallarta and people running inside the airport amid panic. Similar disruptions were reported in Reynosa, a border city in Tamaulipas, where roads leading to the airport and international bridges were blocked by cartel members, although the crossings themselves remained open.
The CJNG is one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations and a major trafficker of fentanyl and other drugs into the United States. Oseguera Cervantes, 59, had been involved in drug trafficking since the 1990s and co-founded the cartel around 2007.
The group is known for aggressive attacks on Mexican security forces, including drone explosives, land mines, and a high-profile assassination attempt on Mexico City’s police chief in 2020.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration considers the CJNG comparable in influence to the Sinaloa cartel, with operations in all 50 US states. Oseguera Cervantes had been indicted multiple times in the United States, and Washington had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture.
In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel a foreign terrorist organization, citing its involvement not only in fentanyl trafficking but also extortion, migrant smuggling, resource theft, and weapons trafficking.
