A wave of violence broke out across Mexico after the country’s most wanted drug lord, Nemesio Osegera Cervantes, was killed in a security operation involving US intelligence services, reports the BBC.
According to the police, 25 people have been arrested so far, 11 for allegedly participating in violent acts and another 14 for alleged robbery. Many shops were set on fire, and around 20 bank branches were attacked.
Revenge for the death of a drug lord led to the spread of violence to at least a dozen countries, and cartel members blocked roads with burning vehicles.
Armed men also appeared on the streets of Jalisco and elsewhere.
Eyewitnesses filmed plumes of smoke rising over several cities, including Guadalajara, one of the host cities for the upcoming soccer World Cup.
Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro declared a code red in the state and suspended all public transportation and canceled mass events and school classes.
Tourists described the tourist town of Puerto Vallarta as a “war zone” for Reuters.
About 250 barricades were placed on roads throughout the country, 65 of which were in Jalisco.
Several airlines have canceled flights to Jalisco, including Air Canada, United Airlines and American Airlines.
Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum said there was “absolute coordination” between state and federal officials in response to the violence, encouraging people to remain “calm and informed.”
Cervantes, known as El Mencho, was the leader of the notorious Jalisco Nova Generation drug cartel and died yesterday after being seriously injured in clashes between his supporters and the military.
According to the Mexican Ministry of Defense, four members of the cartel were killed during the operation in the city of Tapalpa, in the central-western state of Jalisco, and three members of the army were wounded.
The US has warned its citizens to be especially careful and seek shelter if they are in the states of Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon.
US press secretary Caroline Leavitt said El Mencho is “a prime target of Mexican and US authorities as one of the main traffickers of fentanyl”.
She said three cartel members were killed, three others wounded and two arrested in the operation, for which the US provided intelligence.
(TYPE/Source: Srna/Photo: X)
