{"id":143195,"date":"2026-02-23T22:01:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T22:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/143195\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T22:01:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T22:01:23","slug":"deadly-violence-in-mexico-spreads-after-cartel-boss-killed-as-americans-warned-to-shelter-in-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/143195\/","title":{"rendered":"Deadly violence in Mexico spreads after cartel boss killed \u2014 as Americans warned to shelter in place"},"content":{"rendered":"

The deadly violence sparked by the military killing of an infamous cartel leader has now spread widely across Mexico, as\u00a0American citizens near the border<\/a>\u00a0were warned to shelter in place.<\/p>\n

At least 20 of Mexico\u2019s 31 states have seen violent clashes in the wake of the\u00a0death of the country\u2019s most wanted man<\/a>, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).<\/p>\n

Cervantes \u2014 better known as \u201cEl Mencho\u201d<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 died in custody Sunday, shortly after Mexican special forces captured him in Tapalpa, Jalisco state.<\/p>\n

Members of the Mexican national guard in the area where \u201cEl Mencho\u201d was killed. Mario Guzman\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

The notorious drug kingpin was seriously injured in a firefight between military commandos and his bodyguards and died from his injuries en route to Mexico City.<\/p>\n

Cartel members responded to his death by declaring war on the Mexican government of socialist Claudia Sheinbaum,\u00a0shutting down Jalisco\u2019s state capital, Guadalajara<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 the country\u2019s second-largest city \u2014 as they engaged in running gun battles with authorities.<\/p>\n

Violence spread quickly along the west coast<\/a>, reaching up to the US border with California. At least 30 people have been declared dead, with more feared.<\/p>\n

Cars and trucks burned on a highway near Acatlan de Juarez in Jalisco state. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

In Puerto Vallarta, just south of the border, US citizens were issued a stay-in-place order, as narco gangs unleashed their bloody rampage on the resort town.<\/p>\n

Terrifying footage from across Mexico shows torched buildings and vehicles, while panicked lines of tourists are seen trying to flee the country at multiple\u00a0airports\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tourists leave a port in Acapulco, Mexico, on Feb. 22, 2026, after violence broke out in the area. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

President Sheinbaum appealed for peace on Monday, addressing the media for the first time since \u201cEl Mencho\u2019s\u201d death.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important thing right now is to guarantee peace and security for the entire population of all of Mexico,\u201d she told a press conference.<\/p>\n

Tourists look as smoke plummets the air in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on Sun. Feb. 22, 2026. REUTERS<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, there is already more calm, and there is government, there are armed forces, there is a security cabinet, and there is a lot of coordination,\u201d Sheinbaum said, looking to reassure the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeace, security, and normalcy are being maintained in the country,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Mexico\u2019s Secretary of National Defense\u00a0thanked the US for its help<\/a>\u00a0in the operation that killed \u201cEl Mencho.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fire rising from burning buses and vehicles in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. @morelifediares via REUTERS<\/p>\n

According to the White House, the US provided intelligence support for the operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also benefited from US institutions and intelligence agencies, and this allowed us to dismantle the information networks of El Mencho and to proceed with the arrest operation,\u201d General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo told a news conference Monday.<\/p>\n

Security personnel stand outside FEMDO, where the body of \u201cEl Mencho\u201d is being held. REUTERS<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you know, the intelligence process is very complex. It requires a lot of time. One has to gather a lot of clues and information from\u00a0various\u00a0different\u00a0sources,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Mexico has \u201cbeen in very close contact with the US Armed Forces Well in this area,\u201d Trejo said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The deadly violence sparked by the military killing of an infamous cartel leader has now spread widely across…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":143196,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[60113,30718,2106,9,11,10,13942,3301,1076],"class_list":{"0":"post-143195","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-cartels","9":"tag-drug-cartels","10":"tag-mexico","11":"tag-new-york","12":"tag-new-york-headlines","13":"tag-new-york-news","14":"tag-tourists","15":"tag-violence","16":"tag-world-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}