El Mencho’s death: Supermarkets, banks and cars catch fire: Cartel continues revenge campaign after El Mencho’s murder – what’s happening in Mexico? | World News –

Within hours of the killing of Nemesio Oseguera, the feared cartel leader known as El Mencho, a coordinated wave of retaliation swept across Mexico that closed highways, grounded flights and sent residents scrambling for cover.

Gunmen believed to be loyal to the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) blocked main roads in several states, burning vehicles and torching businesses in what security sources described as a coordinated show of force. In some towns, authorities urged tourists and residents to stay home, while trucking groups advised drivers to avoid main roads or return to their depots until conditions stabilize.

The violence followed a high-profile operation by Mexican special forces in Tapalpa, Jalisco state, which was carried out with the support of US intelligence, according to officials. Oseguera, 60, died in custody after being injured during the raid. His body was transported to Mexico City in a heavily guarded convoy.Flights were disrupted after Air Canada, United Airlines and Aeromexico canceled flights to Puerto Vallarta, a beach resort on the Pacific Ocean, where astonished visitors photographed thick plumes of smoke rising over the bay.

A video shared with Reuters showed beachgoers on the pier taking photos of dark clouds obscuring the ocean horizon.

The violence, which spanned more than a half-dozen states, sparked scenes that have become grimly familiar over two decades of Mexico’s war against drug cartels — swift reprisals, paralyzed transportation corridors and tense cities.A CJNG member told Reuters that the fires and sporadic gunfire were acts of retaliation for Oseguera’s killing during Sunday’s military raid in Tapalpa, Jalisco, and warned that unrest could escalate as factions maneuver to take control of the cartel.

“The attacks were carried out in retaliation for the killing of the leader, initially against the government and out of discontent,” said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “But later will come internal killings at the hands of groups that move to take charge.”In Jalisco state, authorities said that gunmen attacked a National Guard base and recommended hotel guests to remain indoors while public transportation was suspended. Elsewhere, videos shared by security sources showed a military tank driving through a residential neighborhood in Aguascalientes, roadblocks choking the busy Mexico-Puebla highway, and armed men in pickup trucks stopping traffic in Colima.

Guanajuato state, long a New Communist Party stronghold, reported 55 separate incidents in 23 municipalities and 18 arrests, although officials said by evening the situation was under control.Residents described an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. Carlo Gutierrez, who lives in Guadalajara, said WhatsApp groups were filled with warnings to stay inside. “There is fear and a lot of caution,” he said of the city, one of the Mexican stadiums that will host World Cup matches this summer.Authorities did not report any civilian deaths linked to the violent reaction, except for cartel members and security personnel killed during the operation that brought down Oseguera.High-profile arrests and killings targeting gang leaders in the past have sparked similar waves of violence. The arrest and quick release in 2019 of Ovidio Guzman, the son of Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman, led to gun battles that rocked Culiacan.

His re-arrest in 2023 sparked unrest again. The 2024 capture of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada plunged the Sinaloa Cartel into an ongoing bloody internal conflict.In response to the recent violence, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on social media: “It is not surprising that evil people respond with terrorism. But we must never lose our nerve.”The unrest represents an immediate challenge for President Claudia Sheinbaum, who is under pressure from Washington to intensify operations against gangs accused of smuggling fentanyl into the United States.

While she stressed that daily life was proceeding normally in most parts of the country, the scale of the backlash underscores the dangers of unseating a figure whose organization has entrenched itself across vast swaths of Mexico.In Washington, President Donald Trump’s administration praised the killing, describing it as a major blow to organized crime. But on the ground in Mexico, the immediate consequences were determined less by celebration than by roadblocks, fires and the specter of more bloodshed.The Indian Embassy in Mexico also issued a warning to Indian citizens residing in the country, urging them to be cautious and stay at home.“Dear all Indian citizens in Mexico. There are ongoing security operations and associated roadblocks and criminal activities, and Indian citizens in Jalisco State (Puerto Vallarta, Chapala and Guadalajara regions), Tamaulipas State (Reynosa and other municipalities), Michoacán State regions, Guerrero State and Nuevo León State must shelter in place until further notice,” the Indian Embassy in Mexico posted on X.