Officials reported dozens of suspects killed and 25 National Guard members slain in attacks.
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s government said Monday it cleared hundreds of cartel roadblocks after the killing of CJNG leader “El Mencho,” but officials reported mounting deaths among security forces and civilians as families in western states searched for food, medicine and safe routes home.
Authorities said the violence erupted after a Sunday operation in Jalisco state that killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the longtime head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The backlash spread across much of the country within hours, with vehicles set ablaze, highways cut off and businesses shuttered. By Monday, officials tried to show the state had reasserted control, yet the toll from the retaliatory attacks kept rising and the government faced urgent questions about whether CJNG would fracture into rival factions or regroup under a new leader. The unrest also rattled key cities and tourist corridors at a time when Mexico is preparing to host major international events this year.
Defense officials said army and National Guard special forces moved in Sunday morning to capture Oseguera Cervantes near Tapalpa, Jalisco, a rugged area southwest of Guadalajara. Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said the force immediately came under heavy fire. He said eight gunmen were killed during the first clash, then Oseguera Cervantes and two bodyguards fled into a wooded area where they were seriously wounded in another firefight. Trevilla said authorities flew them out along with a wounded soldier, but the cartel leader and the two bodyguards died en route to Mexico City. The Defense Department said troops seized armored vehicles, rocket launchers and other weapons during the operation, and it reported wounded service members receiving medical treatment.
The strikes that followed hit security forces in multiple places and left ordinary life frozen across wide areas. Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said 25 National Guard members were killed in six separate attacks after the raid, a figure that underscored the scale of the retaliation. He said about 30 criminal suspects were killed in Jalisco and four more were killed in neighboring Michoacán. Officials also reported other deaths tied to the unrest, including a prison guard killed during a riot and an agent from a state prosecutor’s office. In several states, local authorities canceled school Monday, and residents in cities across western Mexico stayed indoors as rumors of new blockades spread through group chats and social media. Government officials said roadblocks appeared at more than 250 points in 20 states before they were cleared.
In Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, the violence altered routines in a matter of hours. Sunday night, some neighborhoods emptied and businesses pulled down metal shutters as smoke rose from burned vehicles on key roads. By Monday before sunrise, cars began circulating again with the start of the workweek, a sharp change from the near standstill the day before. Still, openings were uneven. Outside one pharmacy, lines formed as workers passed items through a chained door, and families bought diapers, baby formula, water and basic medicine. José Luis Ramírez, a 54-year-old therapist, said he came early because he did not know whether stores would stay open. Nearby, police trucks lingered at intersections and around public buildings as officers tried to prevent new attacks.
Elsewhere in Guadalajara, the fear was less about a single gunfight and more about being trapped. More than 1,000 people spent the night at the city’s zoo, sleeping on buses when roads around the area became too dangerous for normal travel, according to officials and witnesses. On Monday morning, parents carried toddlers wrapped in blankets as they left the buses for bathroom breaks while patrols watched the perimeter. The scene echoed a pattern common in past cartel flare-ups: sudden blockades, confusing reports of shootings, and long waits as authorities work to reopen corridors. For many residents, it was also a reminder that CJNG has the ability to disrupt daily life even after losing its top leader.
Tourism centers along the Pacific coast also felt the impact. In Puerto Vallarta, smoke plumes rose near the bay during the height of the unrest, and videos showed travelers rushing through the airport as information spread about burning vehicles and blocked routes. Airlines suspended or canceled flights to the beach destination because of the security situation, stranding some passengers and delaying others. Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus said the state was “living through critical hours” as officials suspended public transportation and urged residents to stay home while forces worked to dismantle roadblocks. The violence landed only months before Guadalajara is scheduled to host international soccer matches, adding pressure on local leaders to prove they can protect visitors and keep transport corridors open.
Mexico’s confrontation with CJNG also carried an international dimension. U.S. officials said the United States provided intelligence support for the operation, and the White House publicly praised Mexico’s military for carrying it out. U.S. authorities have long identified CJNG as a major fentanyl trafficking group, and the U.S. State Department previously offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to Oseguera Cervantes’ arrest. In February 2025, the Trump administration designated CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization, a move that intensified political pressure on Mexico to strike cartel networks. Mexico’s leadership has said it will cooperate with the United States but will not accept unilateral foreign military action inside Mexico, a stance that has shaped how officials describe joint work and intelligence sharing.
The death of Oseguera Cervantes, 59, reopened an older debate inside Mexico about whether killing cartel leaders reduces violence or simply shifts it. President Claudia Sheinbaum has criticized past “kingpin” strategies for triggering splintering and bloody succession fights, and her government has sought to show that security forces can act decisively while avoiding prolonged chaos. Analysts said the operation and the government’s swift public messaging were designed to show control and competence, particularly after the rapid backlash. Even so, officials acknowledged that uncertainty remains about who will lead CJNG next and whether rival groups will test the cartel’s territory while the organization regroups. Investigators continued to piece together responsibility for the attacks that killed Guard members and other officials, and authorities said they would maintain deployments in affected states.
Late Monday, Mexico’s government said it had cleared the last known roadblocks and restored major highways, but officials warned that security forces remained on alert as the country watched for fresh reprisals and the first signs of a CJNG succession struggle.
Author note: Last updated February 23, 2026.