Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., on Tuesday urged spring breakers with plans to visit Mexico to cancel their trips due to violent clashes in the country triggered by the Mexican army’s killing of cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” earlier this week.
Mullin made the comments during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” in which he said his chiropractor was still planning to visit a popular tourist destination in Mexico.
“Anybody that’s planning on going to Mexico for spring break … I mean, my chiropractor called me yesterday and said he’s still planning on going to Cancún, I said, ‘Are you crazy?’” Mullin said.
“No one should be going down there right now, it is very volatile and the United States is laser-focused on watching what’s taking place,” he continued.
The senator’s comments come after Mexican troops conducted operations on Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, targeting El Mencho, a former police officer who became the leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, which US authorities have identified as a major supplier of fentanyl to the United States.
El Mencho carried a $15 million US bounty and rose to power following the arrest of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Over roughly the past 15 years, the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación has expanded from a regional criminal group into a global trafficking organization operating from its stronghold in Jalisco.
The Mexican Defense Department said the operation was conducted as part of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the US, and that US authorities provided complementary intelligence that contributed to El Mencho’s killing.
After El Mencho’s death, cartel members burned cars and blocked roads in several Mexican states. Violent clashes were also reported in parts of western Mexico.
Mexican authorities later said that the security situation had been “stabilized.”
“The security situation has now stabilized following targeted operations in Jalisco,” the Mexican Embassy in the U.S. said on Tuesday.
“Federal and State authorities are proceeding to reopen transit corridors and restore public services smoothly,” the embassy continued. “Airline operations are normal, and international carriers are resuming flights today. Puerto Vallarta International Airport has reopened to domestic traffic.”
The embassy added: “If traveling through Jalisco, some local security measures remain in place, while authorities are restoring airport operations to full capacity. We are working with international partners to ensure safety and stability at all transit hubs and tourist destinations.”
But the US State Department’s travel advisory for Mexico remains in effect. The US government earlier issued a shelter-in-place order for Americans in Mexico, but that order has since been lifted.
The Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación is considered the most powerful cartel in Mexico with an estimated 19,000 members and operations across 21 of the country’s 32 states.
The Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.
Mullin said on Tuesday that cartels splitting after Mexico’s operation is a “great opportunity for us, and Mexico, to take them all out.”
“Now, are we going to eliminate all the drug trafficking in the world? Absolutely not. But can we get a handle on it again? Absolutely,” he added.
