Michigan family trapped in Mexico amid surge of violence after cartel leader's death
Violence erupts in Mexico after cartel leader's death
Americans vacationing in Mexico found themselves in the middle of fires, shootings, and more violence after the leader of the country's largest cartel was killed following a raid by Mexican authorities.
(FOX 2) - Dozens are dead, department stores are aflame, and chaos is erupting around Mexico after the leader of a cartel died after a raid by security forces over the weekend.
The fallout from Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes's death, the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, has included a wave of violence that has swept over parts of the country.
Americans vacationing in parts of Mexico have got caught in the middle of the violence. They are now advised to stay inside and wait until it's safe to leave the country.
Local perspective:
Among those in Mexico is Alex Haggart, a St. Clair Shores resident who was vacationing in Puerto Vallarta with his family.
He told FOX 2 his family has been coming to the same area for 16 years and never felt unsafe.
"We go out at night. We bring our kids here, my parents here. It’s been a very safe, very home feeling down here," Haggart said, "and it was quite uneasy as we could look out over the city and we could see multiple fires erupting in different locations. We learned about mid-afternoon that the Costco had a huge fire in the parking lot. They were torching the cars. That’s the Costco that we do our grocery shopping at."
Haggart's family is about a mile north of the epicenter of violence in the city.
"Well about a mile south of here is where the fires were. We saw videos from our friends that live here locally with cars — drivers being ripped out of cars and burned, people being shot at. Buildings being torched. It was kind of scary. It was like a true full-on riot with a military and a cartel."
Tourists shelter-in-place order
At least 70 people are now dead due to the violence, including 25 national guard troops.
The U.S. also aided Mexican authorities by providing intelligence support in the lead-up to the raid that killed "El Mencho."
Zoom out:
Oseguera Cervantes led a criminal network in Mexico that was behind a surge in fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine that was being trafficked into the U.S.
He was killed after a shootout with the Mexican military after it tried to capture him, the Associated Press reported Monday. It cited the country's defense secretary who said authorities tailed one of his romantic partners to his hideout.
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico is advising that Americans in the country to shelter in place and avoid public places amid the violence.
Airlines have also canceled flights in parts of Mexico as the chaos spread.
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The Source: An interview with a Michigan citizen, the Associated Press, and social media posts from the U.S. government were cited for this story.