"Don't leave the resort" Mexican tourists are warned as cartel clashes go wild

Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro is sounding the alarm as violent fallout spreads across multiple regions following a major federal operation.

The US Embassy has issued an alert, urging Americans to shelter in place. It was also learned that the US government shared information that got the CJNG leader el Mencho, neutralized, which may have sparked the insanity.

CJNG is making two demands: 1, release the body of el Mencho; and 2. everyone responsible for his death, including CIA who may have been involved, surrrender.

Tourists vacationing in the popular Mexican beach spot of Puerto Vallarta got a rude awakening on Sunday: stay inside your resort and don't even think about venturing out. That's the word from folks on the ground, they were told. Resort staff reportedly told them to hunker down, though no immediate explanation was provided for the lockdown.

The U.S. State Department followed up with its own stern travel warning Sunday afternoon, telling American citizens to shelter in place until further notice in several hotspots due to "ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity."

The alert covers parts of Jalisco state, including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara; Tamaulipas state, including Reynosa and other municipalities; and sections of Michoacan state, Guerrero state, and Nuevo Leon state.

Smoke could be seen rising over Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco state on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus Navarro took to X to lay out the situation, explaining that federal forces had conducted an "operation" in the town of Tapalpa earlier in the day, which sparked "clashes" in the area.

"Also as a result of said operation, in various points of that region and in other parts of Jalisco, individuals have burned and blocked vehicles with the aim of hindering the actions of the authorities," Navarro wrote in Spanish.

In follow-up posts, the governor made it clear the trouble was escalating. He noted that "the violent incidents have spread" and "blockades have shifted" while authorities scramble to protect citizens.

Navarro declared a "Code Red" to prioritize public safety.

Tourists said they were told not to leave their resort in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

If you enjoy  Brain Flushings and would like to subscribe or Buy Me a Coffee, or even check out the sponsors on this page, I would appreciate it, as it supports my work and my coffee drinking habit. No pressure and subscribing is free. So is checking out the advertisers on the blog.

"We reiterate the recommendation to avoid leaving your homes," Navarro wrote in another post. "The clashes are occurring in several federal entities."

Officials were tight-lipped at first about specifics of the federal operation, but local media reports point to the Jalisco New Generation cartel and its infamous leader, Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, as being at the center of it all.

Tweet