Fake news or real violence in mexico?
Mexico? What’s happening in Mexico? I’m sure many of you have seen the news and Tik Tok headlines screaming “MEXICO DANGER ZONE FOR ANY AND ALL TOURISTS, AIRPORTS SHOT UP AND STREETS BLOCKED!!!!!!”
But, I’m here to talk about the facts, which are often misrepresented in the media and overdramatized for the sake of views and shock. It is important in these situations to consider the sources sharing information on such a delicate topic, so let me give a summary of what happened in the last weeks in Mexico so we can stop the spreading of fake-news.
For context…
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is considered one of the most powerful and dangerous cartel groups in Central America- if not in the world. In February 2025, the CJNG was titled “a foreign terrorist organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity” by the US State Department. They are responsible for the distribution of significant amounts of Fentanyl and other dangerous drugs around the world (and especially to the United States). They hold up to 20 thousand members and the group’s hierarchical system’s founder and leader was Ruben Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, a.k.a. El Mencho.
February 22nd
After tracking down known associates of Oseguera Cervantes, the Mexican army got into a gun fight with El Mencho and some of his security and members, in the forest behind an upscale home inside the gated Tapalpa Country Club residential development (Guadalajara), after setting out with the goal of arresting the cartel leader. Oseguera and two of his body guards were shot and critically wounded, whilst the two other members of the CJNG were detained. Medics from the Mexican Army arrived at the scene to transport all five wounded to a hospital to receive medical aid, but the governement stated it would be too dangerous to go to a hospital in Guadalajara or Jalisco. The cartel was planning violent attacks at the news of the army’s intervention, targetting these hospitals where they assumed their wounded comrads would be transported to. The wounded were transported on planes, but El Mencho died en route to Mexico city (59 years old).
Hours following this…
Within hours of the news of the death of the cartel leader, more than 250 narco-blockades (armed road-blocking) in 20 Mexican states were executed by the cartel. At the same time, a multitude of arson attacks also happened across the country as well. Vehicles were set on fire, releasing tons of smoke into the cities. Tourists and locals were advised to stay in their homes/hotels, and flights coming into and leaving from Mexico were cancelled. Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro declared a statewide “Code Red”, schools were closed and public transport systems halted on the following Monday.
However, life returned to “normal” in Jalisco slowly and cautiously 48 hours later. The code red was lifted and social life resumed, schools and public transport centers reopened. But the population was sceptical and afraid, parents were hesitant to send their kids to school and the younger population was advised not to go out at night just yet…
Be aware of fake news…
“After Mexican forces killed the country’s most wanted cartel leader on Sunday, false accounts of spectacular violence swept across social media, fueled by what researchers say was a coordinated propaganda campaign by organized crime” says Reuters of CBC news on their article After killing of top drug lord, cartels use fake news to spread fear in Mexico. The amount of fake videos, either created by AI or not, circulating the internet at the moment is causing a flurry of panic across many social media platforms. It is a possibility, as CBC claims, that a lot of these violent images and videos of imminent threats are being used as a method, by the cartel, of damaging the Mexican Government’s reputation. This is why making sure to be aware of the facts is so important.
As of right now…
The news about the tensions in Mexico is being updated, some sources say that tensions are spreading to other Central and South American countries, and some say that the issues are being worked out by the leaders of the nation. In the end, no one can guess what will happen, but let us hope that innocent civilians will be spared of further violence and death.
Sources:
- “Mexico on edge after drug lord killing”, CNN (2026)
- Reuters, “After killing a top drug lord, cartels use fake news to spread fear in Mexico”, CTV News (2026)
- “Violence erupts in Mexico after killing of drug cartel kingpin ‘El Mencho’ Al Jazeera (2026)
