Maria Dolores Aguirre’s family shop has thrived on the tourism that has flowed into her charming cobblestone town of Tapalpa, tucked away in the mountains of Jalisco state.
That was until gunfire erupted and helicopters flew overhead as the Mexican army killed the country’s most powerful drug lord just a few miles from her home.
Now Aguirre, 50, worries the bloodshed will deal a blow to her livelihood and change cities like hers. It’s something many in the western Mexican state are grappling with, from the Pacific beaches to the capital Guadalajara, which will host matches for the 2026 World Cup in June.
«It’s going to affect us. More info: rfv7. It’s collateral damage,» Aguirre said. “The government will have to provide a lot of security… The whole world has just seen what happened, and of course people will think twice before coming.”
President Claudia Sheinbaum was asked during her daily news briefing on Tuesday what guarantees there are that World Cup matches will be held in Jalisco. “Every guarantee, every guarantee,” she said, adding that there was “no risk” to fans coming to the tournament.
Fighting between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and Mexican security forces raged in a number of states on Monday, fueling fears among many like Aguirre that more violence was coming.
Members of the Mexican military stand guard at a roundabout on a main street in Guadalajara. | Photo credit: REUTERS
Members of the Mexican military stand guard at a roundabout on a main street in Guadalajara. | Photo credit: REUTERS
More than 70 people have been killed in the attempt to capture Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes and its aftermath, authorities said Monday. Known as El MenchoHe was the infamous leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, known for smuggling fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine into the United States and organizing brutal attacks on Mexican government officials.
The White House confirmed that the US provided intelligence support to the operation to capture the cartel leader and applauded the Mexican military for taking down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries. The US State Department has offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the man’s arrest El Mencho. Oseguera Cervantes’ death came as the Mexican government stepped up its offensive against cartels in an effort to meet US President Donald Trump’s demands to crack down on criminal groups. Trump had threatened to impose more tariffs or take unilateral military action if the country does not show results.
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Mexico hoped the death of one of the world’s biggest fentanyl traffickers would ease that pressure, but many people were anxious as they waited for the powerful cartel’s response.
Oseguera Cervantes was killed on Sunday after a shootout with the Mexican army. Mexican Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla said Monday that authorities had tracked one of his romantic partners to his hideout in Tapalpa. The cartel leader and two bodyguards fled into a wooded area, where they were seriously injured in a shootout. They were taken into custody and died en route to Mexico City, Trevilla said.
Soldiers stand near forensic technicians (not pictured) working at the site where federal forces conducted an operation to capture El Mencho, who died in a helicopter after being wounded during a Mexican special forces attack. | Photo credit: REUTERS
Soldiers stand near forensic technicians (not pictured) working at the site where federal forces conducted an operation to capture El Mencho, who died in a helicopter after being wounded during a Mexican special forces attack. | Photo credit: REUTERS
In the aftermath, a sense of unease simmered in the tourist towns.
The Pacific resort town of Puerto Vallarta was also hit hard by cartel reprisals, scaring tourists.
Steve Perkins, 57, was visiting Puerto Vallarta with his wife Gayle and some friends. They were on the terrace of their hotel room when explosions rang out and black smoke appeared around the city on Sunday morning.
Their return to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was delayed when their flight was canceled on Monday and they were rebooked for March 1.
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Perkins and his wife have been making annual trips to Puerto Vallarta since 2012 and have always felt safe so far. He said they have no plans to return to Mexico.
“There are a lot of Americans stuck here,” Perkins said.
Aguirre worked alongside her son in the small convenience store her family had owned for fifty years. The 15-year-old’s classes were canceled due to the violence.
Aguirre said it was unclear who exactly was in control of the area around her: the military or the cartel. The other question that came to her mind was whether this was just a one-time event, or whether more violence would follow.
“We don’t know if these people (cartel leaders) are here permanently or not,” she said. “If they really killed this leader, they may be fighting each other to gain control or to see who will be the leader.”
Published on February 24, 2026
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