“The United States
provided intelligence support to the Mexican government in order to
assist with an operation in Talpalpa, Jalisco, Mexico, in which Nemesio
‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, an infamous drug lord and leader within
the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was eliminated,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote
on X. “President Trump has been very clear—the United States will
ensure narcoterrorists sending deadly drugs to our homeland are forced
to face the wrath of justice they have long deserved.”
The violence was immediate and retaliatory, according to Mexican authorities. There were multiple explosions and reports of gunfire, as billows of smoke appeared in at least 13 different states. Armed cartel members blew up gas stations and set up various blockades with burning cars, and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico issued a security alert as many American tourists remain trapped.
Panoramic view of Puerto Vallarta right now pic.twitter.com/cWssY9fwCU
— Mike Madrid (@madrid_mike) February 22, 2026
“The fear that remains in society is overwhelming,” a Zitacuaro, Michoacan, resident told
Al Jazeera. “That’s when you realise the immense power these
organisations have, because they can collapse a city in a matter of
minutes.… They have co-opted the leaders who manage transport, and at
any moment they can block the entrances and exits of a city.… They can
completely paralyze a city’s movement.… All basic services are
disrupted: going to hospitals, grocery shopping, ordering food. It
becomes total chaos.”
