The powerful Jalisco cartel is terrorizing Mexico after the country's army killed its leader.
Drug lord Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho", was shot dead during a military operation on Sunday. It triggered a widespread wave of violence that resulted in several deaths.
Official details of the raid, in which both soldiers and armed cartel members were killed, were released on Monday. 25 soldiers, a prison guard and a person from the prosecutor's office were killed, according to Security Minister Omar García Harfuch.
Mexico also announced that 2,500 soldiers were being ordered to the western part of the country, mainly to the state of Jalisco, where around 7,000 soldiers are already stationed, AFP reported.
Powerful drug lord
The brutal "El Mencho" was the leader of the Jalisco Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), one of the most influential criminal networks in Mexico. He was one of the most powerful drug lords and was compared to the imprisoned Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.
The Jalisco Cartel is notorious for its brutality against government officials and security forces, as well as for smuggling cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the United States.
"It is undoubtedly one of the most powerful organizations in Mexico in terms of military capacity, recruitment ability and weapons arsenal," David Mora, an expert at the International Crisis Group think tank, told AFP.
He added that the CJNG is characterized by its “constant willingness to challenge the Mexican government.”
Roads blocked
The cartel leader was killed in a shootout in Tapalpa, Jalisco. Cartel members responded by blocking over 20 roads in Jalisco. The violence quickly spread to more than 250 locations in about 20 states.
On Sunday, the embassies of Sweden and other countries in Mexico issued warnings to their citizens.
The warning was in effect in Jalisco, but unrest also erupted in popular destinations such as Tulum and Playa del Carmen on the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. Several flights to Mexico were canceled and a number of airlines stopped all departures to Puerto Vallarta airport.
The border crossing between Mexico and Guatemala was also closed.
