WASHINGTON (TNND) — Flights from the US to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara airports have been disrupted after Nemesio Oseguera, the Mexican drug lord known as “El Mencho,” was killed in a military raid.
Air Canada suspended operations to Mexico’s Puerto Vallarta on Sunday, Feb. 22, due to an ongoing security situation. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines also reported diverted or canceled flights.
The Mexican government released a statement on Feb. 22 that the Special Forces of the Mexican Army planned and executed an operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco, to arrest Oseguera, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Oseguera was killed at the scene.
The United States Department of State Consular Affairs posted on X at 1:17 p.m. that U.S. citizens in the following locations should shelter in place until further notice: Jalisco State (including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala and Guadelajara), Tamaulipas State (including Reynosa and other municipalities), areas of Michoacan State, Guerrero State, and Nuevo Leon State. Canada also issued a high-risk travel advisory for Mexico, advising Canadians to avoid non-essential travel.
Videos on social media show panic in Mexico, with travelers dropping luggage and running through Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara airports, taking shelter behind chairs and flight desks.
Late Sunday morning, tourists in the small beach resort of Sayulita were warned to return to their hotel rooms and shelter indoors due to the escalating violence.
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