Cartel violence sweeps Mexico following death of drug lord (VIDEOS)

Street battles have erupted after the military killed a powerful kingpin known as El Mencho

Battles between cartels and security officials have broken out in multiple cities across Mexico after a top drug kingpin was killed by the military. 

On Sunday, Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense announced that its special forces killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho, the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Cervantes died from his wounds as a result of a military operation to capture in Tapalpa.  

The cartel responded by blocking roads and attacking patrol vehicles. Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro declared a state of emergency. The violence has quickly spread to the states of Michoacan, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Colima, and Oaxaca. 

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

Video posted to social media show burning vehicles and gunmen on the streets. All flights in and out of the airports of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara have been suspended. 

Major clashes involving automatic weapons between Mexican security forces and members of the CJNG Cartel in La Desembocada, on the northern outskirts of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. pic.twitter.com/eocUQyCAxm

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 22, 2026

Graphic videos from the scene show wounded security officials and destroyed patrol vehicles, as well as bodies lying on the ground.

Footage from inside Guadalajara Airport, Mexico’s third largest, shows people running in fear as gunshots go off in the distance. 

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

Another video shows armed men in body armor  pulling up to a gas station in Guadalajara and setting it ablaze.

???????????? 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

The US Embassy in Mexico has issued a security alert for the country, urging US citizens to seek shelter, avoid crowds and be careful.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents to remain calm and stay informed. “In the vast majority of the country, activities are proceeding normally,” she wrote on X.

A US defense official told CBS News that the US played a role in the raid against El Mencho through a joint anti-cartel task force set up by the Mexican military and the US Northern Command. The official described the raid as “a Mexican military operation.”