On February 22, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), died in custody shortly after he was captured by Mexican special forces. The cartel leader was reportedly gravely injured during a firefight between members of his criminal organization and the Mexican armed forces, and subsequently died on the way from Tapalpa, a town in Jalisco, to the country’s capital, Mexico City.
In retaliation for his death, members of CJNG launched attacks across at least 20 Mexican states in which the cartel is active, including Jalisco, Michoacán, Colima and Guanajuato.
Cartel members reportedly blocked roads by erecting burning blockades or throwing spikes and nails on the pavement and setting fires to local businesses. Initial estimates suggest that more than 250 road blockades were set up across all affected states since the violence broke out.
In some towns, local authorities instructed residents and visitors to shelter in place as the security situation deteriorated. The Mexican Government has deployed around 9,500 soldiers across the country since February 22 to quell the violence, but tensions remain high, especially in the state of Jalisco, one of the cartel’s strongholds.
Almost immediately, the cartel-related unrest started to cause significant disruptions at transportation hubs and manufacturing operations in affected parts of the country, which are likely to continue until the security situation stabilizes.
Cartel violence disrupts air, road and ocean transport activities in Mexico
In the hours following Oseguera’s capture and death, members of his cartel reportedly erected more than 250 road blockades across at least 20 Mexican states, severely impeding the movement of vehicles in the affected areas.
Mexico’s National Chamber of Freight Transportation (CANACAR) issued a warning to drivers to prioritize their safety and take shelter or return to operating yards until the security situation improves.
According to government officials, the majority of road blockades were lifted by February 23. Despite the swift removal of the road blockades, truck movement in and out of affected areas is likely to remain disrupted in the coming days as logistics companies may hesitate to send vehicles and drivers into high risk areas that saw outbreaks of violence since February 22.
Several of the country’s major airports were also affected by the cartel-related violence. Flight delays and cancellations were confirmed at the Mexico City International Airport (IATA: MEX), one of the largest airport in Mexico and the main air transport hub serving its capital, at Manzanillo International Airport (IATA: ZLO), as well as at the Guadalajara International Airport (IATA: GDL) and Puerto Vallarta Airport (IATA: PVR), which are both located in the cartel’s stronghold Jalisco.
Operational disruptions were also reported at the Port of Manzanillo, which is located on Mexico’s Pacific Coast in the western state of Colima. In the morning of February 22, port operations were reportedly suspended until further notice; however, just hours later, Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy issued a statement contradicting initial reports about a port closure, saying that operations at the port continue uninterrupted and that no general closures are in place.
Following the outbreak of violence, officials reportedly reinforced security at the port with additional patrols, drone surveillance, and vessel monitoring. Despite these additional security measures at the port, an industry representative confirmed that the violence disrupted key road freight corridors, including transport routes used to connect the Port of Manzanillo to Guadalajara and other destinations in the north-east of the country. The Port of Manzanillo is Mexico’s largest port and the third largest port in Latin America and handled roughly 4 million containers in 2024. The majority of imports processed at the port arrive from Asia and are often used in domestic manufacturing operations in sectors such as automotive and electronics.
Cartel violence causes business disruptions in several manufacturing industries
The outbreak of violence did not only disrupt the movement of goods and people across parts of the country, but it also forced a number of companies to temporarily halt operations at their Mexican manufacturing sites due to security concerns and delivery delays caused by road blockades and production disruptions at sub-tier suppliers.
So far, temporary production halts have been confirmed at several major automotive manufacturers, including at Audi México, S.A. De C.V.’s plant in San José Chiapa, General Motors De México S. de R.L. de C.V.’s plant in Silao, Mazda Motor Manufacturing De Mexico, S.A. De C.V.’s plant in Salamanca and Nissan Mexicana, S.A. De C.V.’s facilities in Aguascalientes.
France-based tiremaker Michelin has stated that its production activities in Mexico were not impacted by the violence, but still instructed non-factory workers to work from home and imposed a temporary travel ban to Mexico due to safety concerns.
Cartel-related violence was also reported in Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, which is home to several automotive and electronics manufacturers and is sometimes referred to as “Mexico’s Silicon Valley”.
While information about the impact of the violence on business operations in the city remains limited, Honda Motor Co., Ltd., was reportedly forced to halt operations at its assembly plant in El Salto, just outside of Guadalajara, where it manufactures automobiles, motorcycles and power products.
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