Mexico has deployed thousands of additional troops to reinforce security following a surge in violence triggered by the death of a powerful drug cartel leader, the country’s security minister said.
Defence Secretary Ricardo Trevilla said 2,500 extra soldiers were dispatched to western Mexico on Monday, bringing the total number of troops deployed nationwide to about 9,500 since Sunday.
Unrest has been reported in at least 20 states since Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” died in custody on Sunday shortly after his capture by Mexican special forces in Jalisco state.
El Mencho was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most feared criminal organisations, and had been the country’s most wanted man.
At least 25 members of Mexico’s National Guard have been killed in Jalisco since the violence erupted, according to the security minister.
Trevilla said El Mencho was located after authorities tracked a romantic partner he was planning to meet.
The drug lord was seriously injured during a firefight between his bodyguards and military commandos during the arrest operation and later died while being transported from the town of Tapalpa to the capital, Mexico City.
At least six of his security guards were killed in the operation, while three members of the Mexican military were injured, the defence ministry said.
Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch said a prison guard, a member of the state prosecutor’s office and 30 members of El Mencho’s criminal organisation had also been killed in the unrest following his death, according to AFP.
President Claudia Sheinbaum praised the military operation and said her priority was restoring peace and security nationwide.
“There is calm, there is government, there are armed forces and there is a lot of co-ordination,” Sheinbaum said.
As news of El Mencho’s death spread, CJNG members launched coordinated attacks in multiple towns and cities where the cartel is active.
In some areas, roads were blocked using spikes and nails, while in others buses and vehicles were hijacked and set on fire in the middle of streets.
Sheinbaum said the roadblocks had been cleared by Monday morning.
However, dozens of banks and local businesses were damaged after being torched by cartel members.
Videos shared on social media show tourists watching from a swimming pool as a military helicopter flies low over a hotel, with smoke rising from buildings in the coastal city of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco state.
Authorities urged residents in many towns to remain indoors on Sunday, leaving streets largely deserted.
There was also footage showing clashes between cartel members and Mexico’s National Guard in the town of San Isidro, north of Guadalajara, on Sunday.
One video shows an armed individual firing toward several vehicles, while other images show at least four bodies slumped beside a car.
CCTV footage from a nearby restaurant shows a vehicle ramming a National Guard truck as cartel members opened fire at around 11:00 local time (05:00 GMT).
The National Guard has not released further details about the incident.
The US State Department had previously offered a $15m (£11.1m) reward for information leading to El Mencho’s capture.
The Mexican Ministry of Defence said the raid was carried out by the army with support from the National Guard and the Air Force.
It added that “complementary information” provided by the United States helped locate El Mencho, but Mexican authorities confirmed on Monday that no US forces were involved in the operation, according to AFP.
