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Prominent Turkish journalist Cuneyt Ozdemir said Sunday that he was stranded in Mexico amid clashes between a drug cartel and the army, adding that he is in contact with Türkiye’s Embassy in Mexico.
Speaking during a live broadcast from his hotel in the coastal city of Puerto Vallarta, Ozdemir said violent reprisals erupted after the reported killing of the leader of one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels, forcing authorities to shut down transportation links and cancel flights.
“We came to Mexico for a three-day vacation and got stranded in the middle of clashes between the cartel and the army,” Ozdemir said in a post on social media. “Barricades have been set up outside the hotel, vehicles have been burned, and the road to the airport is closed.”
Ozdemir said he traveled to Mexico with his family and was preparing to leave the hotel when warnings began circulating advising guests not to go outside.
He said cartel-linked violence spread across six to eight states, with buses and vehicles set ablaze and barricades erected on major roads. Ozdemir claimed cartel members issued threats warning civilians not to be on the streets after a certain hour, adding that hotel guests were “extremely tense.”
Mexico’s army said Sunday it killed Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, the 59-year-old leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), during an operation in the town of Tapalpa, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Guadalajara.
Oseguera was wounded in clashes with soldiers and died while being flown to Mexico City, the military said. The United States had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture.
The operation triggered a wave of retaliatory violence, including road blockades and arson attacks targeting vehicles and businesses in multiple states, Mexican authorities said.
Türkiye’s Embassy in Mexico issued a warning urging Turkish citizens to exercise caution following the unrest.
In a statement posted on the social media platform X, the embassy said it was closely monitoring developments in the states of Jalisco, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, Aguascalientes and Zacatecas.
The embassy advised Turkish nationals to remain vigilant, take maximum precautions and follow instructions issued by local authorities. It said it could be reached via an emergency hotline at +52 557 917 7785.
Airlines said some flights bound for Mexico were forced to turn back due to security concerns, including four Southwest Airlines flights headed to Puerto Vallarta.
Jalisco state authorities suspended public transportation, urged residents to remain at home and activated a “red alert” amid threats to public safety. Events involving large crowds were canceled across parts of the state.
Violence has escalated across several regions of Mexico in recent days as security forces continue operations against organized crime groups.
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