In Brief
- Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as ‘El Mencho’, was killed on Sunday morning.
- Flights have been disrupted to parts of the country.
Australians have been advised to reconsider travel to large parts of Mexico following a wave of major violence sparked by the killing of one of the country’s most powerful cartel leaders.
“Serious security incidents have been reported across the state of Jalisco, including in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, following a federal law-enforcement operation against organised crime,” the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Smartraveller website said in a statement on Monday.
“Authorities in Puerto Vallarta have issued a public advisory to shelter in place. There may be transport disruptions, including by air. Stay alert and follow the advice of the local authorities.”
It comes after Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as ‘El Mencho’, died following a domestic military operation carried out on Sunday morning after escalating pressure from the United States to intervene in drug operations.
Mexico’s defence minister said Oseguera was seriously injured following a shootout with government forces in the western state of Jalisco and died while being flown to Mexico City. The ministry added that the US had provided “complementary information” in the operation.
Authorities in the nearby city of Puerto Vallarta issued a shelter-in-place order as cars were set on fire and masked gunmen barricaded roads in more than half a dozen states. All major events across the state of Jalisco have been cancelled and schools will be suspended on Monday, the state’s governor has said.
A former police officer, Oseguera was the shadowy leader of the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel, an operation named after the region it originates which is home to one of Mexico’s largest cities, Guadalajara.
The group quickly evolved into an international criminal enterprise which now rivals their former allies, the Sinaloa cartel. That cartel was headed by Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, who is in a US prison following his 2016 arrest.
The military operation against Oseguera follows a pressure campaign from the Trump administration on Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government to ramp up its crackdown on drug trafficking, which has included the threat of US military action on Mexican soil.
“The operation for his arrest was led by the defence ministry, and he ended up being killed,” a government source familiar with the operation told the Reuters news agency.
US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau said Oseguera’s death was a “great development” for the US and Mexico, as well as the rest of Latin America.
The kingpin’s killing is a major victory for Mexico’s war on drug cartels that are responsible for smuggling billions of dollars in cocaine and fentanyl into the US.
Smartraveller urged Australians travelling Mexico to “exercise a high degree of caution” across the country due to the threat of violent crime.
“We also continue to advise reconsider your need to travel to the states of Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Guanajuato, Sonora, Colima and Chiapas,” Smartraveller said.
“There are lower levels within some of these locations.”
Flights disrupted
US and Canadian airlines cancelled dozens of flights into parts of Mexico on Sunday due to the continuing violence in the region.
US carriers Alaska, United and Southwest, along with Canada’s WestJet and Air Canada, all announced the suspension of flights to locations including Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and Manzanillo.
The Australian government advises that there may be continuing transport disruptions, including to air travel. They urge people in the region to stay alert and follow the advice of local authorities.
— With additional reporting by Agence France-Presse.
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