Twenty-five Mexican National Guard members were killed after Mexico‘s army took out the leader of one of the country’s largest drug cartels on Sunday night.
The country’s security head, Omar Garcia Harfuch, confirmed that over two dozen guard members were killed in six separate attacks across the state of Jalisco after the army took out the drug lord “El Mencho.” El Mencho, or Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, ran the fentanyl-trafficking Jalisco New Generation Cartel for over 15 years before he was killed in a military operation.
The response to El Mencho’s killing sent shockwaves through the Jalisco state as the JNGC cartel members set cars on fire, and the 25 National Guard members were reported killed. In response to the cartel’s backlash, state officials closed several schools, some businesses have temporarily closed, and airlines canceled flights to the region’s airports in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. All ride-share services were also halted in the region.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico issued a security alert for Jalisco and surrounding Mexican states, urging U.S. citizens in the area to shelter in place, as the government and embassy officials are doing as well. Coastal Puerto Vallarta is a popular beach destination for American tourists.
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson shared an image on X of him shaking hands with a Mexican military officer, saying he salutes the military and safety officials who “confront criminal organizations with courage and professionalism.”
“The United States stands firmly with Mexican authorities in our shared responsibility to stop the violence that threatens and poisons our people on both sides of the border. I have the utmost respect for the Mexican officials who serve honorably, so that others may live in peace,” Johnson said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters on Monday that she expects flights to resume on Monday or Tuesday. She called her country “at peace” in a Monday morning press conference.
“We awoke today with no blockades,” Sheinbaum said. “All activity has practically been reestablished.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the United States provided “intelligence support” to assist Mexico with the El Mencho operation.
MEXICAN SECURITY FORCES KILL LEADER OF JALISCO NEW GENERATION CARTEL ‘EL MENCHO’
“In this operation, three additional cartel members were killed, three were wounded, and two were arrested. President Trump has been very clear — the United States will ensure narcoterrorists sending deadly drugs to our homeland are forced to face the wrath of justice they have long deserved,” Leavitt said.
A Mexican prison guard, a state prosecutor, and one unidentified woman were also killed in the cartel backlash to the El Mencho killing, according to the Associated Press.