Mexico unrest spirals after El Mencho killing — National Guard losses, troop surge and World Cup security concerns
A wave of violence has swept mexico after the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, triggering a major military deployment, dozens of deaths and widespread disruption that has raised immediate questions about public safety and the security of major events this summer.
Security and military response in Mexico
Defence Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said an extra 2, 500 soldiers were sent to western Mexico on Monday, bringing the total deployed since Sunday to about 9, 500. The deployment follows the capture and subsequent death in custody of El Mencho, who was seriously injured in a firefight between his bodyguards and the military commandos sent to capture him. He was shot during the attempt in Tapalpa and died while being transported from Tapalpa to Mexico City.
Trevilla said forces tracked down a romantic partner El Mencho was meeting, which led to his capture. The operation also left at least six of El Mencho's security guards dead and three members of the Mexican military injured. President Claudia Sheinbaum praised the army operation and said there was calm, government presence, armed forces and strong co-ordination.
Human cost: deaths, attacks and local disruption
The security minister has said that at least 25 members of the National Guard have died in Jalisco state since the violence erupted. The security secretary, Omar Garcia Harfuch, said a prison guard, a member of the state prosecutor's office, and 30 members of El Mencho's criminal organisation had been killed in the unrest since his death. In many towns and cities where the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is active, cartel members launched attacks.
Attack tactics included blocking roads by throwing spikes and nails onto tarmac, commandeering buses and other vehicles and then torching them in the middle of roads. Dozens of banks and local businesses were damaged after being set alight. Authorities cleared road blocks by Monday morning in the areas where they had been erected.
Civilian and travel impacts, airline responses and advisories
Jalisco residents were warned to stay indoors as unrest spread. The US government advised Americans in Jalisco to shelter indoors until further notice, and the US State Department opened a 24/7 crisis hotline calling on Americans to shelter in destinations including Cancun, Cozumel and Puerto Vallarta. Canada cancelled flights to the Puerto Vallarta airport, and many aeroplanes were recorded returning to their departure points.
The president said flights from Puerto Vallarta were expected to resume today or tomorrow. Airline announcements indicated that flights to and from Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo and Tepic would gradually resume from today, and a major German carrier said it would operate flights to Mexico from Frankfurt and Munich today.
Implications for the World Cup and cartel dynamics
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the country's most feared criminal organisations and whose leader had been the nation's most wanted man, engaged in gun shootouts with the military, blocked roads and burned vehicles in response to his death. Violence began in central-western Jalisco, where a code red security situation was declared, and has spread to at least a dozen more regions; at least 20 states have seen unrest since the leader's death. Videos shown widely depict gunmen patrolling streets and smoke billowing over cities.
Experts have warned that mexico's co-hosting of this summer's FIFA World Cup could be compromised by the eruption in cartel violence. Guadalajara is scheduled to host four matches, Mexico City five, and Monterrey four. Javier Eskauriatza, an assistant professor of criminal law, said that pushing down on cartels can produce strong pushback and that the power vacuum from El Mencho's killing could lead to instability as contenders vie to replace him. He noted that cartels often have an economic interest in keeping large events peaceful: they pay off officials, buy businesses such as restaurants and hotels, and gain from tourist spending.
The CJNG is estimated to be worth more than £10bn, has tens of thousands of members, and has been linked to massacres, kidnappings and killings of politicians since its formation in 2009. Some cartel figures retain local popularity by financing infrastructure and facilities, while other elements within the organisation have framed the recent violence as revenge for their leader's death, saying the response was required by the organisation's rules and amplified through social media.
On the ground: images, policing and public reaction
Scenes from Jalisco included charred wreckage of buses that appear to have been set on fire by organised crime groups. Federal police were visible guarding the security secretary's building in Mexico City. In the capital a newspaper seller displayed the morning's editions, with the day's dominant story evident on every stand. Public warnings and travel disruption have altered daily life in multiple regions while authorities work to restore control.
Details remain developing and may evolve as authorities assess security needs and the full scale of damage and loss is confirmed.
