'Shelter' warning for Irish citizens as Mexican state erupts in violence after cartel leader killed

LAST UPDATE | 16 hrs ago

THE IRISH GOVERNMENT has issued updated travel advice for people visiting Mexico after the killing of a powerful drug lord sparked a wave of violence in various parts of the country yesterday. 

Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, the 59-year-old leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was wounded in a clash with soldiers in the town of Tapalpa, in Jalisco state, and died while being flown to Mexico City, the army said in a statement. He had a $15m US bounty on his head.

Gunmen retaliating for the raid blocked more than 20 roads in western Jalisco state, burning cars and trucks. As violence spread across the country, at least eight states suspended in-person classes and the judiciary authorised judges to close courts where necessary.

Mexico has deployed some 2,500 troops to counter the violence that has erupted in response to the killing. 

At least 25 National Guard members have been killed in the violence that has followed Oseguera’s death, Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch said.

Harfuch added that a prison guard, a member of the state prosecutor’s office and 30 suspected members of Oseguera’s criminal organization were also killed.

Fearful residents went into hiding, and tourists took shelter in their hotels and resorts as cartel members went on the rampage.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged citizens to remain calm while the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs updated its travel advice, telling people to avoid all travel to Jalisco state.

“Irish citizens already in Jalisco or in any other affected area should shelter in place, avoid unnecessary movement, and follow the direction of the local authorities,” the department said. 

Oseguera, whose nickname was “El Mencho,” is one of the biggest Mexican drug lords to be taken down since the capture of the founders of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Ismael Zambada. Both are now serving prison sentences in the United States.

Sunday’s statement said that in addition to Mexico’s own military intelligence, the raid was carried out with “complementary information” from US authorities.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Washington “provided intelligence support.” Sheimbaum also said today that no US forces were involved in the operation. 

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Eight suspected cartel gunmen besides Oseguera were killed and three soldiers were wounded during the special forces operation, the Mexican army said.

Two cartel suspects were arrested and a variety of weapons were seized, including rocket launchers capable of taking down airplanes and destroying armoured vehicles, the statement said.

Violence

Violence has flared in response to the operation with gunmen blocking roads in Jalisco state, which is scheduled to host four World Cup games this summer.

The streets of the state capital Guadalajara were almost empty as shops, pharmacies and petrol stations shut down.

Maria Medina, who works in a petrol station that was set on fire, said men with guns showed up and told everyone to get out.

“I thought they were going to kidnap us. I ran to a taco stand to take cover with the people there,”  she said.

The violence spread to the neighboring state of Michoacan, where Oseguera’s cartel also has a presence, and to the resort city of Puerto Vallarta.

His cartel was formed in 2009 and became one of Mexico’s most violent drug trafficking organisations, according to the US Justice Department.

Amid the violence, Guatemala said it was reinforcing “strategic” sections of its border with Mexico, which has seen incursions by criminal groups linked to cartels in recent months.

The United States has classified the Jalisco cartel as a terrorist organization and accuses it of sending cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the United States.

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau welcomed the operation and called Oseguera “one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins.”

“This is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world,” he added.

US and Canadian airlines have cancelled dozens of flights to Mexico due to the violence.

With reporting from AFP

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