23.02.2026 22:01
After the killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader El Mencho in Mexico, journalist Cüneyt Özdemir, who was trapped in a hotel in Jalisco state due to the violence that erupted in the country, reported that the cartel threatened those who wanted to go out with their lives.
Following the killing of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Mexico's Jalisco state, violent incidents left journalist Cüneyt Özdemir trapped in a hotel. Özdemir reported that the cartel threatened those who wanted to go out and that air traffic was halted.
CÜNEYT ÖZDEMİR TRAPPED IN MEXICO WHERE THE EVENTS OCCURRED
Özdemir, who went to Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, located in western Mexico, for a vacation with his family, evaluated the violent incidents that erupted in the country after the killing of CJNG's leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," in an interview with AA reporter.
Stating that he visited Puerto Vallarta, a holiday city visited by millions of tourists, mostly from the USA and Canada, every year, Özdemir mentioned that his wife returned to the USA for work one day before the incidents broke out, and he got trapped in the hotel due to road closures while planning to stay one more day.
Özdemir pointed out that after the killing of the cartel leader, CJNG initiated a process referred to as "cartel retaliation," stating, "For the first time, we see this in a tourist area. I had previously been to Tulum and Cancun in Mexico. There were extraordinary moments there too, but tourists were not usually affected."
"ROADS ARE CLOSED, YOU CAN'T REACH AIRPORTS"
Özdemir mentioned that there was an "unwritten rule" in the country that cartel members would not interfere with tourists and that major actions would not take place in metropolitan areas, but this validity has now disappeared, saying, "Now the airports are closed. At least the roads are closed, you can't reach the airports. Flights are being canceled."
When Özdemir spoke with Turkish acquaintances in Tulum in the south of the country, he learned that helicopters were circling the city all night and that people were anxiously waiting in hotels, adding that the staff at the hotel he was in could not go home either.
"THE STATE THAT IMPOSES THE CURFEW IS NOT THE GOVERNMENT, BUT THE CARTEL"
Cüneyt Özdemir stated, "The interesting and tragic thing is this. There is a curfew. The one who imposes this curfew is not the state, but the cartel. They say, 'Whoever goes out, we will take their life or kill them.'" emphasizing that many people are trapped in their locations.
Recalling that a "red code" was declared, meaning "stay where you are for safety," Özdemir said that 1200 people who visited the zoo yesterday were trapped there when the "red code" was issued.
Özdemir drew attention to the fact that cars were being burned in the city, restaurants were closed, and there were people stuck at the airport, emphasizing that the uncertainty about what would happen in the city continued.
Özdemir evaluated that the Mexican state and its leader were acting cautiously in the fight against the cartel, stating, "Because they have gained a practice from their previous experiences. They say, 'When a very violent response is given, violence does not decrease, it increases.' Therefore, they respond more cautiously."
CARTEL STRUCTURE
Özdemir stated, "There are incidents in one-third of Mexico, which has 31 states. In one-third, schools are closed, there is no public transport, and people are not leaving their homes. But on the other hand, life continues normally." He said he did not know whether the violence of the incidents was increasing or decreasing since no one could go outside.
Özdemir shared that no one had been evacuated from the hotel he was in, stating that they spent the night with the hotel staff.
Özdemir pointed out that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel fights with everyone without regard and has retaliated in tourist areas unlike in the past, stating about the cartel's structure, "We need to get rid of the concept of a gang as we have in our minds. Because think of it as a paramilitary organization, like an army, with heavy weapons."