00:27The airport erupting.
00:31Guadalajara International Airport became a scene of panic on Sunday, February 22nd, 2026, after news spread that Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes,
00:43known worldwide as El Mencho, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, had been killed in a high-stakes military
00:51raid in Tapalpa, Jalisco.
00:54Passengers dropped luggage, ran through terminals, and sought cover behind counters and jetways as smoke rose and distant chaos echoed.
01:04Social media videos showed travelers barricading themselves in lounges, fearing that cartel violence might spill into the airport.
01:12Outside, the CJNG's retaliation spread like wildfire, torched vehicles, blocked highways, and clashes with security forces across Jalisco and more
01:25than a dozen other states.
01:26Schools were closed, public transport halted, and flights canceled or diverted, stranding international travelers.
01:36Airlines including United, Southwest, American, Delta, Alaska, and Air Canada suspended flights to Guadalajara, GDL, and Puerto Vallarta, PVR.
01:48Governments issued urgent advisories urging citizens to stay indoors.
01:54Authorities confirmed the panic was largely due to the CJNG's coordinated unrest rather than a direct assault inside the airport.
02:04Still, the imagery of terrified passengers and burning highways captured global attention.
02:10El Mencho's death, confirmed by Mexico's Secretariat of National Defense and multiple international sources, marks a major blow to organized
02:20crime.
02:21Yet the cartel's rapid, violent response shows how dangerous and resilient CJNG remains.
02:29The question now looms, will his death quell the cartel's power or spark an even deadlier wave of violence across
02:37Mexico?
02:37Guadalajara and Jalisco are holding their breath.
02:42The airport chaos may have subsided, but the shadow of El Mencho's empire still lingers.
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