SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A San Diego business owner says his wife escaped violent cartel blockades in Puerto Vallarta, after the Mexican army killed the leader of one of the country's most notorious criminal organizations.
The powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as "El Mencho," was killed by the Mexican army, bringing backlash across Puerto Vallarta.
Cartel members set cars and buses on fire in the streets as roadblocks, and explosions were reported across the city.
Justin, a San Diego business owner who asked not to be identified out of fear of retaliation, said his wife was working as a vendor at a Puerto Vallarta farmer's market when the chaos erupted.
"They're saying there was explosions all across the, all across the city and the whole, the whole bay and looking across the horizon, there was smoke everywhere and fires everywhere," Justin said.
Other vendors who attempted to leave on their own faced dangerous consequences.
"Here's the guy that got assaulted on the way out, and they ended up taking his car and kicking him out and lighting it on fire at one of the gas stations to, to try and assist with the blockade," he said.
Eventually, the vendors formed a caravan and were able to escape.
"She looked over and saw one of her, one of the other vendors, one of her friends that sells at the market. She saw his truck just in, you know, in ashes with all of his personal belongings, his entire business in the back of that truck, and, and it just tore her apart," he said.
Jan Ronis, a criminal defense attorney who represented El Mencho's son in court, said the cartel leader's death will set off an internal power struggle.
"It's been a real problem for the government, it's been a real problem for the people of Mexico because these organizations are very powerful," Ronis said.
Ronis warned that the instability is far from over.
"It's going to be a power vacuum, a power struggle," Ronis said. "The government's got no control over what's taking place."
