What Is Happening in Mexico Right Now: El Mencho Killed, Cartel Violence Engulfs Nation
Mexico is in crisis. On Sunday, February 22, 2026, Mexican military forces killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes — the drug lord known worldwide as "El Mencho" — in a military raid in the town of Tapalpa, in Jalisco state. The killing of the most powerful cartel leader in Mexico instantly detonated a wave of retaliatory violence across more than half a dozen states, turning Jalisco's capital Guadalajara into a ghost town as civilians hunkered down, triggering shelter-in-place orders for American and Canadian tourists, and plunging popular resort cities like Puerto Vallarta into chaos. What is happening in Mexico right now is being described as one of the most dangerous and volatile security events the country has faced in decades.
El Mencho: Who Was Mexico's Most Wanted Drug Lord
Oseguera, a former police officer and avocado farmer, co-founded the CJNG around 2007 and built it into what the FBI considers Mexico's most powerful trafficking organisation, responsible for the bulk of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl entering the United States. The DEA considered the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, with a presence in all 50 U.S. states. The Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization in February 2026. The U.S. government had placed a $15,000,000 bounty on El Mencho's head. He cultivated an air of mystery throughout the country, keeping such a low profile that all known photographs of him were decades old.
How the Operation Happened in Mexico and What Followed
On February 22, 2026, El Mencho and six others were killed in a security operation by the Mexican Army in Tapalpa, Jalisco. The operation was led by the Mexican Army with support from the National Guard, the Mexican Air Force, and intelligence personnel from the Attorney General's Office. Mexican authorities also confirmed coordination with United States agencies, which provided complementary intelligence in the planning of the mission.
The raid triggered an immediate and violent CJNG backlash across Mexico:
| State | Reported Incidents |
|---|---|
| Jalisco | Highway blockades, vehicle burnings, Guadalajara ghost town |
| Guanajuato | More than 70 attacks in 23 municipalities, 60 arson attacks |
| Colima | Armed roadblocks, civilian movement halted |
| Michoacán | Violent incidents, U.S. citizens ordered to shelter in place |
| Nayarit | Vehicle burnings, armed cartel presence |
| Tamaulipas | Violent incidents, shelter-in-place warnings issued |
| Nuevo León | Active security operations, movement restricted |
One National Guard member was killed during the operation, six other members died in Zapopan, a jail guard was killed at a lockup in Puerto Vallarta during a riot, and an agent from the Jalisco state prosecutor's office was killed in Guadalajara.
What Is Happening in Mexico for American and Canadian Tourists Right Now
The situation in Mexico is especially alarming for the hundreds of thousands of North American tourists currently vacationing in Jalisco's resort towns. A Texas resident said he was one of the last tourists to board a plane out of Puerto Vallarta on Sunday, witnessing what appeared to be execution-style murders on his way to the airport. Canada's Global Affairs warned that criminal groups have set up roadblocks in several cities across southwestern Mexico. There is a shelter-in-place order in Puerto Vallarta, where Canadians are advised to keep a low profile, monitor media reports, and follow orders from local authorities.
The U.S. Embassy directed all American citizens in Jalisco (including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara), Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Guerrero, and Nuevo León to shelter in place until further notice. Emergency contact numbers for Americans in distress: from Mexico, dial (55) 8526-2561; from the United States, +1-844-528-6611.
Mexico News: What Happens Next — The Leadership Vacuum
The most dangerous question now facing Mexico is what comes after El Mencho. There is no obvious successor to Oseguera. A leaderless CJNG sets the stage for an internal power struggle among factions fighting to claim control of one of the most profitable and violent criminal empires on earth. Security analysts warn this vacuum could produce sustained violence across Mexico for weeks or even months as rivals — both inside the CJNG and from competing cartels like the Sinaloa — move to fill the void left by El Mencho's sudden death.
President Sheinbaum Responds as Mexico Watches
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is urging people to remain calm, saying the federal and state governments are in full cooperation. Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus ordered all residents to remain at home and suspended all public transportation across the state. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau welcomed the military operation, calling El Mencho one of the most ruthless drug kingpins and declaring the outcome a major development for Mexico, the United States, and Latin America as a whole. What is happening in Mexico remains a rapidly evolving, hour-by-hour security emergency — and the world is watching.
