Mexican Cartel Retaliation Disrupts Flights in Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, And Manzanillo—Drug Boss ‘El Mencho’ Killed

by Gary Leff

Mexican security forces killed Jalisco New Generation Cartel (“CJNG”) leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes – known as “El Mencho” – on Sunday. He was wounded and later died during an air transfer. Multiple cartel members were killed, others were detained, and weapons and armored vehicles were seized. Cervantes carried a U.S. reward of up to $15 million for his arrest.

Panic inside the Guadalajara airport was caught on video, with people running and taking cover behind ticket counters, though airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico denied any armed incursion into the terminal. There was certainly gunfire, though it’s possible this was outside the terminal.


The cartel retaliated across Jalisco and several other states with widespread vehicle burnings and “narco-blockades” of burning vehicles used to block roads.

People were also reported running through the Puerto Vallarta airport. Air Canada and United cancelled Puerto Vallarta flights due to unrest there.

Here’s passengers evacuating Puerto Vallarta airport:

WestJet diverted and canceled flights involving Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, and Manzanillo. Manzanillo airport could not be reached by road due to blockades.

Aviation in Mexico has come under cartel threat in the past as the government made moves against them. And it’s taken the Mexican military to protect tourists from cartel violence on the Cancun beaches. Of course, the U.S. Border Patrol themselves are no strangers to extra-curricular cooperation with Mexican cartels. Strictly speaking, cartel violence of this sort is the literal definition of a failed state.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Yikes. About 14 days out from peak spring break. I wonder how many Americans will cancel.

  2. “Strictly speaking, cartel violence of this sort is the literal definition of a failed state.”

    Seriously Gary?

    How about “Violence at this level and intensity is what might be expected in a civil war.”

  3. Ahh Mexico…..the land of opportunity. Still think we have it so bad here…..you know with our “king” and all?

  4. Not such a bad call to classify drug cartels as narco-terrorists then. Don’t see how else you can describe such behavior.

  6. “you know with our “king” and all?”

    If we had a “king”, we wouldn’t seem those lame protests by those paid Anti 1ce protestors lol #brainwashedmuch

    Good luck to those in PV..

  7. I used to go to Mexico quite a bit in the 1980s and a few times in the 1990s. Since then it has became too dangerous. I feel sorry for the people there who have to live with the violence that they are not part of.

  8. @CHRIS we had plenty of similar issues with the J6ers trying to overthrow the government. And the defeated candidate fomented the riot. So, no, not that different.

  9. @Lance. Whatever one may think of Trump or J6, to equate it with what many Mexican civilians have been facing for decades and the violence we see right now is kind of insulting to them.

  10. Failed state? Quiz: Guess which country is the largest consumer of cocaine in the world?

    I’ll wait.

  11. Gary you know Mexico isn’t a failed state. I’m posting this comment from Mexico right now.

    What I find to be so sad about the cartels is that they exist entirely because there is demand for their products in the United States, and that’s not going to go away any time soon.

  12. Had a nice time last year on a cruise stopping for a day in Acapulco. Wife and I walked around the seafront, visited the historic fort, went to a department store, spent time in the market, etc. with no problems and saw few armed guards. Even less of them were evident in Cabo San Lucas where we walked all over the downtown. Granted these are tourist areas far from a lot of the violence, but the whole country isn’t in chaos. Anyway, I agree with footballfan412, much of this trouble started with the stupid U.S. laws that Nixon began as a way to punish protestors in the U.S. By taking a medical problem and turning it into a criminal one these created vast profits, and incidentally made a nice industry of fighting “the war on drugs” forever.

  14. “we had plenty of similar issues with the J6ers trying to overthrow the government. And the defeated candidate fomented the riot. So, no, not that different.” I would never defend the J6ers nor Trump’s acts or pardons in that arena. But, come on . . .

  15. @Lance
    Kindly remind me again how many cars and buildings were torched in Washington DC on January 6th.

  16. I would say ‘get your popcorn ready’ for this spectacle, but, maybe, instead nachos and tequila would be better.

  17. @Lance. To equate the experience of the US with what civilians in Mexico have been dealing with for years — and especially right now — is an insult to Mexicans.

    I hope they are able to put an end to this.

  18. @CHRIS

    Let me jolt your jaded memory of events. Over 140 police officers were injured by the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol. Of those injured, four committed suicide all within the first year after the attack. An attack with damages exceeding $2 million caused by the insurrectionists.

    Our President likes to call himself the law and order President, but pardoned all the insurrectionists, many who have gone on to commit more crimes.
    And please explain to me President Trump’s war on drugs. Our President who pardoned a convicted drug trafficker, ex President Juan Orlando Hernandez of Hobnduras who was serving a 45 year term. Maybe he will pardon Maduro as well.

    Never have we had such a despicable President as Donald Trump. But hey, he does what he gotta do to ensure he can profiteer anywhwere from 1-4 billion dollars perverting the office of president. Speaking of perverts……..

  19. MGHOW says:
    “Strictly speaking, cartel violence of this sort is the literal definition of a failed state.”

    Seriously Gary?”

    A more realistic way of viewing this is that this is the end result of U.S. companies and government selling modern weapons to Mexican drug cartels. As these weapons are coming from above the border, why can’t Orange Man stop those that are selling them.

    And since he is so busy telling Mexico to clean up its act, wouldn’t it be easier if Frump just gotten Americans to stop ingesting all those drugs.

  20. @ Dwondermeant

    I wondered if that was related but seems to be just a nickname based on his Spanish name. I asked google translate what “El Mencho” meant and they told me “the mencho”

Comments are closed.