Mexico erupts after El Mencho is killed in military raid

The news broke on Sunday. Within hours, highways were burning.

Mexico has been gripped by a wave of cartel violence following the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mencho, the powerful head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

According to Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defence, special forces carried out a military operation to capture Tapalpa. El Mencho was wounded during the raid and later died from his injuries.

What followed was swift and brutal.

🚨🇲🇽 The narco group CJNG burned a gas station in Guadalajara, Mexico. https://t.co/Etz1A4W19b pic.twitter.com/MGZAs5o7L9

Adi Baz (@AdiBazi16) February 22, 2026

Highways blocked, airports shut

In Jalisco, cartel members responded by torching vehicles, blocking roads and attacking patrol units. Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro declared a state of emergency as gunfire echoed across parts of the state.

The violence did not stay contained.

Reports quickly emerged from Michoacán, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Colima and Oaxaca, where similar clashes between armed groups and security forces were reported. Social media filled with dramatic and often graphic footage: burning trucks, masked gunmen patrolling streets, injured officers lying beside damaged patrol cars.

Flights in and out of Guadalajara International Airport, Mexico’s third-largest airport were suspended, along with services at Puerto Vallarta International Airport. Inside terminals, videos showed passengers running for cover as gunshots rang out in the distance.

At one petrol station in Guadalajara, armed men in body armour were filmed setting the forecourt ablaze.

BREAKING: Guadalajara International Airport thrown into chaos as cartel violence spreads across Jalisco.

Travelers seen fleeing terminals while local reports claim coordinated attacks and possible hostages tied to CJNG activity.

Developing situation pic.twitter.com/iVF2rg8yGP

Clown World ™ 🤡 (@ClownWorld) February 22, 2026

A nation on edge

The US Embassy in Mexico issued a security alert urging American citizens to shelter in place, avoid crowds and exercise extreme caution.

President Claudia Sheinbaum called for calm, stating on X that in most parts of the country daily life was continuing normally. But for residents in affected states, the atmosphere was anything but normal.

In Mexico, the fall of a cartel leader rarely signals immediate peace. History suggests the opposite.

Atención a la escalada de violencia en México después de que fuerzas federales hayan abatido a “El Mencho” líder del cártel CJNG de Jalisco, el cártel narco más sanguinaria del país.
Están atacando infraestructuras públicas y establecimientos privados.pic.twitter.com/n3A6sjE38g

Julián Macías Tovar (@JulianMaciasT) February 22, 2026

The power vacuum problem

CJNG rose rapidly over the past decade, becoming one of Mexico’s most feared and heavily armed criminal organisations. El Mencho built a reputation for aggressive territorial expansion and violent retaliation against rivals and the state.

When top cartel figures are captured or killed, power struggles often erupt within and between criminal groups. Analysts warn that such vacuums can trigger short-term surges in violence as factions compete for control of lucrative trafficking routes.

On social platforms, reactions have been mixed. Some Mexicans expressed relief at the removal of a figure long associated with brutal tactics. Others voiced fear that the aftermath could prove even more destabilising.

US involvement acknowledged

A US defence official told CBS News that the United States supported the raid through a joint anti-cartel task force established between the Mexican military and US Northern Command. The official emphasised that it was ultimately a Mexican military operation.

Cross-border cooperation against organised crime has long been a sensitive topic in Mexico, where sovereignty concerns run deep. Yet the scale of cartel power has often required joint intelligence efforts.

What comes next?

For now, the immediate priority appears to be restoring order in affected regions. Security forces remain deployed as authorities assess the fallout.

The killing of El Mencho marks a significant moment in Mexico’s long-running battle against organised crime. But as smoke rises from burned-out vehicles and airports reopen cautiously, the bigger question lingers:

Will this be a turning point or the start of another violent chapter?

For many ordinary Mexicans, the answer will be measured not in headlines, but in whether tomorrow feels safer than today.