Following the death of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, who is also known as “El Mencho,” cars and buildings were set on fire and roads were blocked in parts of Mexico, causing many to stay in their homes, hotels to caution tourists and raising concerns that more retaliation will occur.
The killing of El Mencho by the Mexican military in an operation meant to capture him is being seen as the biggest blow to the cartels since the recapture of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, in 2016. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico, moving drugs and migrants across the border and into the United States, and has been known for its attacks on Mexican security forces.
After Sunday’s operation, cartel members have responded to the operation with violence, firing gunshots on the streets of Jalisco, burning cars on the road and blocking 250 points across nearly two dozen states. Dozens of people have been killed. Most of the reported deaths have been members of the National Guard, security forces and the cartel.
More than 10,000 Mexican troops have been deployed across 20 of Mexico’s 32 states in an attempt to restore order. Approximately 2,000 have been sent to Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco and Mexico’s second-largest city, where Oseguera Cervantes’ stronghold was located and where he was later killed.
In the affected areas, civilians stayed in the relative safety of their homes. Many businesses were closed, and school was canceled on Monday, Feb. 23. People were urged to work remotely and to not risk going outside.
Arantza Vizcaino, 25, lives in Guadalajara, where she works as an accountant for the University of Guadalajara. She said the news unfolded early Sunday morning, “People who were nearby started reporting hearing helicopters and machine gun fire, but it hadn’t reached Guadalajara yet. The chaos intensified after they reportedly trapped one of the cartel leaders, and he was killed.
“We assumed it was El Mencho because they wouldn’t have done something so big for someone who wasn’t as significant,” she continued. “Then the rumors started that they had trapped and killed him. All the news outlets started circulating videos of people on roads, showing passenger trucks and trucks used to transport food being burned.”
Vizcaino said that cartel members retaliated by taking people out of their cars and burning the vehicles. She said she felt emotional and angry throughout the day, adding that it was inevitable that she “cried a lot of tears” on Sunday.
Amidst the violence, government officials quickly sent out warnings telling people to stay home from work and school. Vizcaino and her parents stayed home the rest of that day and all day on Monday. On Tuesday, Feb. 24, she cautiously returned to work.
Along with legitimate news and government announcements, fake news was being shared via WhatsApp and other online sources, claiming the cartels would start killing people en masse. Fortunately, said Vizcaino, most private citizens have remained safe.
“Unfortunately, it has become somewhat normal, somewhat common for us as Mexicans to deal with these types of situations,” she said. “Narco trafficking has become a structural problem in our society – it is so embedded. We always have to be on guard, and we wonder how far the cartels will go.”
As an example, Vizcaino mentioned the “Culiacanazo” in Culiacan, Mexico, in 2019, when there was a violent standoff between security forces and cartel gunmen, who were trying to force the release of El Chapo’s son. The extended violence resulted in area residents being advised to shelter in their homes for approximately two weeks.
“Kids grow up seeing all these things happening,” said Vizcaino. Sadly, she said, many later end up being recruited into the cartels.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen next,” she added. “The narco trafficking structure wasn’t broken [on Sunday]; it was just fragmented. … We want to return to normalcy, but we’re all on high alert, always aware of our surroundings and looking over our shoulders.”