Travellers in the southwest Mexico state of Jalisco have been warned to stay indoors as violence erupted following the killing of a drug cartel kingpin.
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the formidable leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed during a Mexican military operation with US assistance in the town of Tapalpa.
In the wake of the killing of the man widely known as “El Mencho”, violence has erupted in revenge across the state.
The Foreign Office is warning: “Serious security incidents have been reported on 22 February across the state of Jalisco, including in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, following a federal law-enforcement operation against organised crime in the municipality of Tapalpa.
“Authorities in Puerto Vallarta have issued a public advisory to stay indoors. Routes to airports may be blocked. Incidents are also being reported in other parts of the country. You should exercise extreme caution, follow local authorities’ advice, including orders to stay indoors and avoid non‑essential travel in affected areas.”
The US Embassy in Mexico City urged American citizens throughout the state of Jalisco as well as some other parts of the country to “shelter in place until further notice”. The security alert warned of “ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity”.
Many flights to the airports in the popular Pacific resort of Puerto Vallarta and the World Cup 2026 host city of Guadalajara diverted and cancelled.
At least 30 flights departing from US, Mexican and Canadian airports for Puerto Vallarta have either returned to their starting points or diverted to other airports. Dozens more have been cancelled. As a result, many thousands of tourists in the Pacific resort who were expecting to leave on Sunday are stranded.
Air Canada posted a message to passengers on X, saying: “Due to an ongoing security situation in Puerto Vallarta impacting the airport, Air Canada has temporarily suspended operations there today. We are monitoring the situation and in contact with local authorities who are working to resolve the issue.
“Customers are advised not to attempt to go to the airport unless their flight is shown as operating on aircanada.com, and will be directly notified of changes to their itineraries. We will share more information as soon as it becomes available.”
The Foreign Office already warns against travel to many parts of Mexico because of drug-related violence. The official advice says: “Drug-related violence in Mexico has increased over recent years. Do not become involved with drugs of any kind.
“Some areas of Mexico have a high crime rate due to fighting between rival organised crime gangs. In these areas, there is a risk of being caught in the crossfire or of being mistaken for a gang member.”
While there is some concern that violence may spread across the nation, the latest FCDO warning does not affect the main resorts for British holidaymakers on the Caribbean coast, notably Cancun. The upsurge in violence is taking place 1,000 miles away.
The only cancellations at Cancun airport are to and from Guadalajara, and also some flights serving the New York area – due to extreme winter weather in the northeast US
