The U.S. State Department issued a security warning on Feb. 22 advising Americans in Mexico to “shelter in place” until further notice, after the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was killed by the Mexican army.
“Due to ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity, U.S. citizens in the named locations should shelter in place until further notice,” the state department said in its security alert.
The areas listed by the state department include Jalisco State (including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara), Tamaulipas State (including Reynosa and other municipalities), areas of Michoacan State, Guerrero State, and Nuevo Leon State.
Mexican drug lord Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes’s death was confirmed by the country’s Ministry of National Defense in a news release. Known as “El Mencho,” the cartel leader was killed in a military operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco on the morning of Feb. 22.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau called El Mencho one of the “bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins” in a post on X.
“This is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world,” he wrote.