Videos: Cities burn, airport stormed in Mexico after drug boss El Mencho killed

A wave of coordinated cartel violence has erupted across Mexico after reports confirmed the death of notorious drug lord Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera, with gunmen torching vehicles, blocking highways and triggering panic at a major airport in scenes authorities described as a nationwide retaliation.

Oseguera, 60 — the elusive leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel — died in custody after being wounded during a Mexican special forces operation in the Pacific coastal town of Tapalpa in Jalisco state, Mexico’s defence ministry said.

According to security officials, cartel operatives set up more than 250 burning roadblocks across at least 20 states on Sunday, paralysing transport corridors and forcing residents indoors as smoke plumes rose over multiple cities.

In the Pacific resort of Puerto Vallarta, tourists posted videos of black smoke engulfing the bay and crowds running through the airport after gunfire fears spread.

Major airlines including Air Canada, United, Aeromexico and American Airlines suspended flights, citing an “ongoing security situation.”

Violence also choked roads in Guadalajara — Mexico’s second-largest city and a planned World Cup host — where burning vehicles and shuttered businesses turned neighbourhoods into a virtual ghost town.

Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus urged residents to stay home, suspended public transport and warned the state was living through “critical hours.”

Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan and Guanajuato reported at least 14 deaths, including seven Guard troops, in clashes tied to the unrest, The Associated Press reported.

The US State Department and Canada’s embassy issued shelter-in-place alerts for citizens in several affected states, while schools across parts of Mexico cancelled classes on Monday as security forces raced to regain control.

The Indian Embassy in Mexico has advised its nationals to seek shelter, avoid crowds and limit movement amid the widespread unrest.

Sunday’s operation that killed El Mencho ranks among Mexico’s most consequential strikes on drug networks that funnel fentanyl and other narcotics into North America.

But the scale and speed of the backlash underscored the cartel’s reach, as cities burned and highways shut down within hours of the kingpin’s fall.

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