Mexico on alert after the fall of El Mencho

"The consequences of his fall spread quickly throughout Mexico. A dozen states suspended school classes for Monday; several governors urgently convened their security cabinets to monitor the wave of violence unleashed by organized crime; the national trucking association urged drivers to seek shelter; and the United States warned its citizens in nearly a third of the country not to leave their homes."

"The first warnings came in the form of roadblocks and fire. Recent Mexican history has taught people how to read these signs: the cartel responds with ferocity when its leadership is hit. The city of Culiacan lived through it twice first during the failed attempt to arrest El Chapo's son, Ovidio Guzman, known as El Raton, and again when the Army finally managed to take him away in handcuffs."

"The same scene began to unfold on Sunday morning, when thick columns of smoke started cutting across the sky over Puerto Vallarta. In Jalisco's tourist jewel a regular destination for Americans and Canadians the news spread like wildfire. The Lord of the Roosters had been neutralized, and his people were not going to stand idly by. Throughout Sunday, groups of international tourists chose to miss their flights home because they couldn't risk trying to reach the airports."

Nemesio El Mencho Oseguera Cervantes, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the world's most‑wanted criminal, died after a Mexican Army operation in the mountains of Jalisco. The death triggered immediate national disruptions: a dozen states suspended classes, governors convened security cabinets, the national trucking association urged drivers to seek shelter, and the United States warned citizens in nearly a third of Mexico to stay home. In Jalisco, residents feared violent reprisals as roadblocks and fires appeared. Historical responses to leadership hits have been ferocious, with past sieges in Culiacan. Tourist hubs like Puerto Vallarta saw panic, grounded flights, and halted transport services.

Read at english.elpais.com