Tourists trapped in Mexico after violence erupted following the death of cartel kingpin Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes described terrifying scenes in the country after finally managing to return to the US.
Air travelers returning to Los Angeles International Airport recounted hearing gunfire and seeing flaming cars after the cartel leader was killed at the hands of Mexican security forces, triggering a wave of carnage across the nation.
One traveler from Northern California said cartel members stormed the resort she was staying at in Puerto Vallarta.
Air travelers returning from Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta described gunfire and cars set ablaze as they fled Mexico. Jonathan Alcorn For CA Post
One traveler from Northern California said cartel members stormed the resort she was staying at in Puerto Vallarta. REUTERS
“Nothing was safe. There was mandates to stay inside,” the traveler traveler, Jonathan, told NBC 4 from LAX. REUTERS
“A vision I will never forget. They had all their guns, masks on their face,” the tourist, Kelley, told NBC 4 after landing at LAX.
She added that she will never return to the resort city, one of the most prominent in Mexico rocked by the spiraling violence.
A traveler to Guadalajara described hearing gunshots from his hotel.
A tourist visiting Guadalajara described hearing gunfire from his hotel. REUTERS“Nothing was safe. There was mandates to stay inside,” the traveler, Jonathan, told NBC 4 from LAX.
“They’re shooting a bunch of guns and obviously there’s ambulances and police chasing them, but yeah I didn’t want to put my head outside and find out.”
Ramsey, an 18-year-old who spent roughly a week in Mexico before arriving at LAX Tuesday morning, told The Post he saw “burning cars and cartel members there with guns” while traveling in Jalisco.
“I was nervous that they might start shooting randomly,” he said.
Mina Diaz, 47, from San Pedro, visited Guadalajara and Chapala for five days and described scenes of burning vehicles as “something you see on the news, but never in person.”
“It was really scary,” she told The Post after landing in LAX Tuesday.
“It was a little scary,” 24-year-old Emmanuel Espinoza, from Ventura County, said after arriving from Guadalajara on Tuesday morning. kristineabor / SWNS
Cartel members have set fires and blocked roads with burning vehicles to wreak havoc. AFP via Getty ImagesOn Sunday, Mexican security forces killed “El Mencho,” the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, during a high-stakes military operation.
The ensuing chaos saw cartel members erect roadblocks using burning vehicles and launch retaliatory attacks across the region.
More than 70 people, including cartel members and Mexican security forces, died in the operation and aftermath of his death.
“I just sent a message, just landed,” Nora Castillo, 62, who lives in the San Fernando Valley, told The Post. Jonathan Alcorn For CA Post
Traveler Ana Casanova arriving from Guadalajara at LAX airport in Los Angeles, Feb. 24. Jonathan Alcorn For CA PostOne traveler arriving at LAX Tuesday morning said her daughter changed her flight for her after violence forced the closure of Guadalajara airport.
“I just sent a message, just landed,” Nora Castillo, 62, who lives in the San Fernando Valley, told The Post of informing her daughter that she made it home. “She’s like, ‘Oh mommy, I want to cry.'”
“We have war here, and we don’t know for how long this will last,” she added.
Mexican law enforcement stands guard near a burning bus set on fire by organized crime groups in Jalisco, Feb. 22. AFP via Getty ImagesAnother traveler, 22-year-old Alondra Belmonte from Jalisco, drove by several burned out cars on his way to the Guadalajara airport.
“I think all of the burning was just because they wanted to scare us,” he told The post from LAX Tuesday.
“It worked.”
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