The last 24 hours or so have been rather chaotic in Mexico.
A top cartel leader was gunned down by the government, and the cartel responded in kind.
It was so bad that the Mexican Air Force was called in, and tourists were trapped in Puerto Vallarta due to cartel retaliation.
I honestly cannot remember the Mexican government taking action like this against the cartels in modern history.
Most had anticipated that response would be significant if it ever did happen, but the fact that the cartels were able to outgun police and parts of the Mexican military is rather remarkable.
The operation to take out cartel boss Ruben "Nemesio" Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," took place on Sunday, and videos were all over the internet of the response by cartels, including possession of rocket launchers to take out helicopters.
El Mencho’s cartel, Mexican Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was carrying out military-style operations, which then required the Mexican Special Forces, with aircraft assistance from the Air Force and National Guard rapid-reaction units, to join the fight.
The operation to take out the cartel boss was done in conjunction with the United States (the U.S. reportedly shared intelligence on the cartel and its leader).
U.S. Ambassador Ron Johnson complimented Mexican authorities and their military for their sacrifice in the operation, adding that "under the leadership of President Trump and President Sheinbaum, bilateral cooperation has reached unprecedented levels."
As of this writing, there have been 27 people killed on the government side of this battle, including someone from the State Attorney General’s office. The cartels have reportedly lost at least 30 operators.
After the operation was announced, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added, "‘El Mencho’ was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland.”
A side effect of this operation is that tourists are being caught in the middle of this fight, forced to hole up in their hotels for fear of being killed or kidnapped on the streets.
Authorities have issued shelter-in-place orders, and the airports are all but shut down at this point due to the violence.
One man described a scene as cartel members approached a group of cars and a fuel tanker, stating, "I looked down and they're completely engulfed in flames. It was six cars in total that burned and one fuel tanker."
I have vacationed in Cabo before, but I don’t think I will be going back anytime soon. I cannot imagine the fear people are experiencing right now, wondering if they will become a footnote in this war with the cartels.
