Mexican government officials are warning residents that Jalisco State, including popular expat haven Ajijic is not safe for travel at the moment.
Former Orillia mayor and two-term city councillor Ted Emond is in Puerto Vallarta with his wife, Julia.
While we could not reach Emond, he posted on Facebook about the emerging crisis.
“We are safe but restricted to our residence,” Emond wrote. “Puerto Vallarta is basically shut down while authorities bring the situation under control. No report of harm to residents and visitors. Lots of property damage.”
Orillians Charles Pachter and his husband, Keith Lem, are in Ajijic. They, too, are sheltering in place
“The streets are deserted, devoid of people and cars,” Lem told OrilliaMatters. “I’ve received cautionary warnings from people who have lived here for years not to go out, so we took their advice.”
He said the main road in town is “normally packed full of weekend traffic but there is none now,” he said, sharing a video that shows an eerie silence on the normally bustling streets.
He said local restaurants and stores have shut down. However, he said there is no evidence of violence in the immediate area.
“But they shut the highway into town so the cartels couldn’t cause trouble here,” he explained.
The duo have been visiting the area regularly since 2018 and “love it” there, said Lem.
However, the uncertainty and fear is real. They have relatives visiting that had planned to leave Wednesday. Now, it’s not known if they will be able to return to Canada.
More than 19,000 Canadians are living in Mexico at the moment, according to Global Affairs Canada.
The agency issued a warning to people in the area that criminal groups have set up roadblocks with burning vehicles throughout the state.
The federal government says there have also been shootouts and explosions, though it’s not yet clear if there are any injuries.
Global Affairs Canada is advising Canadians in the area to keep a low profile and shelter in place, and monitor local and international media to stay informed.
In a post on social media, Pablo Lemus Navarro, the governor of Jalisco, said that federal forces conducted a raid in Tapalpa, a town about 400 kilometres inland of Puerto Vallarta, Sunday morning.
That raid, Navarro wrote, led to “confrontations” across the state.The Associated Press is reporting that the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, was killed in that raid.
The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful and fastest-growing criminal organizations in Mexico.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.
The Puerto Vallarta airport has shut down.
WestJet, Air Canada, Flair, Air Transat and Porter Airlines have all cancelled or diverted flights to the area.
In a statement, WestJet said they have diverted seven flights en route to Puerto Vallarta and cancelled 24 flights to and from the city, as well as nearby Guadalajara and Manzanillo.
“As conditions evolve, additional cancellations may be required to ensure the safety of everyone,” the statement read.
Air Transat said in a statement that its Sunday flights had been rescheduled to Monday, adding it is closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates.
Source: Global Affairs Canada
