Vacationing Americans were stranded in the chaos after El Mencho was killed on Feb. 22. (photo by Billy Filipps)
The targeted killing by the Mexican government of cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho, on Feb. 22 led to a firestorm of retaliatory actions, centered in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta, which left many vacationing Angelenos stranded as flights were grounded throughout the country.
“I was supposed to leave Monday,” Los Angeles resident Billy Filipps said. “Flights were hard to get out which makes sense. No planes coming in, so no planes to get us out.”
Beverly Hills Architectural and Design Review Commission Chair Rebecca Pynoos, who declared her candidacy for the Beverly Hills City Council last week, was among those unable to return to the United States.
“We were in Nayarit where my soon to be sister-in-law is from,” Pynoos said. “They were able to have a beautiful wedding Saturday night with the fusing of two cultures – Mexican and American, Catholic and Jewish – with cheers of Salud and Mazel Tov heard throughout the night, filled with fanfare, warmth and the very joyous joining of two families. It was moving and magical.”
But the morning after the wedding, when the wedding party was supposed to enjoy a day at the beach, they noticed businesses were quickly closing down, people were rushing the streets and “army men with guns in open trucks” were driving through the town.
“We were informed a major cartel leader had been killed and to get back to the hotel immediately, unaware of the scale of the escalation. We then saw 20 minutes prior, every major news outlet had broken the news about El Mencho. Instead of taking buses to the wedding beach day, it then turned into a shelter in place, as ordered by the U.S. Government and Mexican National Guard,” she said.
Pynoos described the lockdown, which included around 30 family and friends, as similar to a COVID lockdown. The group ordered quesadillas and tortas for the next few days since the hotel restaurant was shut down. Others in the wedding party were already on their way to the Puerto Vallarta airport when the news broke. Burning cars led to road closures.
“One group of friends watched from their taxi as a highjacked oil tanker truck was set ablaze on the highway, blocking the road in front of them,” Pynoos said. “It sounded harrowing and terrifying, especially for those who are parents with young children. Their driver then took them to the Nayarit airport instead on the way back into town, where they were hoping to get out, but were instead stuck for eight hours before they could safely return to our hotel with help from officials.”
Government officials were able to escort about half of the group out on Feb. 23, with the rest expected to be able to return by midweek. Some made alterations to plans, rerouting their trips through cities that were reportedly less affected by the cartel’s response.
Filipps sheltered in place with his group of seven at the condo where they were staying.
“Luckily, [at first] we had a restaurant, but they were so overwhelmed by Day Two we had to start portioning food,” he said. “Luckily some restaurants opened and we were able to get dinner because our place’s restaurant closed. But our condo owner let us stay for free and was going to let us stay until Friday if needed. The [condo] Indah was one of the best experiences I have ever had.”
Filipps said he expected to get back to Los Angeles on Feb. 25 after originally only being able to find flights for Feb. 27.
“Honestly, for us, we felt in a safe bubble. We could see fire everywhere. But I think the media makes it sound a lot worse. We all felt very safe. It was more of an unease about knowing if and when we could leave,” he said.
By Feb. 24, he said, the city seemed “back to normal.”
“Everyone was out, shops open and the beach was full,” Filipps said.
Pynoos said that the situation with her large party was “incredibly tense,” particularly for families with young children.
“We were relieved to get out, given the circumstances but also incredibly grateful for the people of Tepic, Nayarit and Jalisco who bent over backwards to accommodate us and make us feel safe in an emergency,” she said. “I am heartbroken for my beautiful sister-in-law from Nayarit who spent Saturday night as a most stunning beaming bride and Sunday in tears over what was happening in Mexico. She said in all her years in Nayarit and in Mexico, nothing like this had ever happened. It seemed better as of [Feb. 24] in some areas, with people walking around again, cafes opened and people in the street, but Sunday was a ghost town with everything shut down. We are sad for the innocent people caught and affected by this up in this and pray for continued safety. We still look forward to going back to visit our newly joined family in Mexico again when things resume, who so warmly welcome us into their beautiful culture and home.”