Tapalpa, Mexico — María Dolores Aguirre’s family corner shop relies on the tourism that has flowed into her charming cobblestone town of Tapalpa, nestled in the mountains of Jalisco state.
That was until gunshots rang out and helicopters flew overhead when the Mexican army killed the country’s most powerful drug trafficker just a few kilometers from her home.
Now, Aguirre, 50, worries that the bloodshed will deal a blow to her livelihood and change towns like hers. It’s something many in the western Mexican state are grappling with, from its Pacific shores to its capital, Guadalajara, which will host matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June.
“It will affect us. It’s collateral damage,” Aguirre said. He added, “The government will have to provide a great deal of security… The whole world saw what happened and of course people will think twice before coming.”
President Claudia Sheinbaum was asked at her daily press conference on Tuesday about the guarantees that World Cup matches will be held in Jalisco. “Every guarantee, every guarantee,” she said, adding that there was “no risk” to fans attending the tournament.
Fighting between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and Mexican security forces broke out in a number of states on Monday, raising fears among many like Aguirre that there will be more violence to come.
More than 70 people died during the attempted arrest of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes and its aftermath, authorities said Monday. Known as “El Mencho,” he was the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico’s fastest-growing criminal networks, known for smuggling fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine into the United States and launching brazen attacks against Mexican government officials.
The White House confirmed that the United States provided intelligence support to the operation to arrest the cartel leader and praised the Mexican army for bringing down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries. The US State Department offered a reward of up to $15 million to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest of El Mencho.
Oseguera Cervantes’ death came as the Mexican government intensified its offensive against the cartels in an attempt to meet US President Donald Trump’s demands for tough action against criminal groups, threatening to impose more tariffs or take unilateral military action if the country does not show results.
Mexico had hoped the killing of one of the world’s largest fentanyl traffickers would ease that pressure, but many people were anxious as they waited to see the cartel’s strong response.
Oseguera Cervantes died after a shootout with the Mexican army on Sunday. Mexican Defense Minister Gen. Ricardo Trivilla said Monday that authorities had tracked one of his romantic partners to his hideout in Tapalpa. The cartel leader and two of his bodyguards fled into a wooded area where they were seriously injured in an exchange of gunfire. They were detained and died on their way to Mexico City, Trivilla said.
In the aftermath, a feeling of unease prevailed in the tourist towns.
The Pacific resort city of Puerto Vallarta was also hit hard by cartel retaliation, raising concerns among tourists.
Steve Perkins, 57, was visiting Puerto Vallarta with his wife, Gayle, and some friends. They were on the balcony of their hotel room when explosions and black smoke began to appear across 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.
Perkins and his wife have been making annual trips to Puerto Vallarta since 2012 and have always felt safe so far. He said they do not plan to return to Mexico.
“There are a lot of Americans trapped here,” Perkins said.
Aguirre has worked alongside her son in the small neighborhood store her family has owned for 50 years. The 15-year-old’s lessons were canceled due to the violence.
Aguirre said it was unclear who exactly controlled the area around her: the army or the cartel. The other question on her mind was whether this was just a one-time event, or if there would be more violence in the future.
“We don’t know if these people (cartel leaders) are here permanently or not,” she said. “If they actually kill this leader, they could fight among themselves to win control or see who will lead it.”
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Associated Press writer Juan Lozano in Houston contributed to this report.
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