Canadians say Puerto Vallarta is a ‘war zone’ amid growing violence – nationally
Canadians stranded in Puerto Vallarta amid escalating violence in Mexico’s Jalisco state say that while they feel trapped in their hotels, the surrounding area looks like a “war zone.”
A shelter-in-place order has been issued in the city, and the governor of the province said that the military carried out an operation in Tapalpa early on Sunday, which led to conflicts in the area.
“People are calm and staying tight and maybe a little quieter than usual and trying to figure out what’s really going on,” said Jeff Willis, a man from Manitoba who currently lives in Puerto Vallarta. “But behind our unit, you can see a lot of smoke and it looks like a war zone.”
Willis said he lives in town near the marina, about 10 minutes from the closed airport.
He told Global News that he was notified by WestJet that his flight had been cancelled.
Jalisco State Gov. Pablo Lemus Navarro said in a post on social media a few hours after it was reported that he issued an order to activate the code red.
He said that cars were burnt and blocked in some places to prevent the actions of the authorities.
Global Affairs Canada issued a notice on its Mexico travel advisory page on Sunday, warning of violence and roadblocks in the southwestern region of the country.
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“Gangs have set up roadblocks with burning cars in southwestern Mexico,” the notice said. “There was a shootout with the security forces and an explosion.”
The agency said the roadblocks were “mainly” located in Jalisco State, including Puerto Vallarta; Guerrero State, including Acapulco, and Michoacan State.
The smell of the fires was evident, but Global BC producer Joan Marshall said in an interview at her hotel near the city’s beach that there were also “strange” sounds.
“You hear a little bit of sirens because there’s a hospital nearby, but it was a strange sound of cars racing, now that I think back, there were a lot of sirens after that,” said Marshall. “Then I got up and looked outside and thought, ‘What is that fog in the air?’ then it went outside and it was smoke from all the fires and you could smell this really sour smell.”
Steve Mossop said he was also missing in Puerto Vallarta, and although he told Global News he felt safe in his hotel, he added that it was a “scary” situation.
“There’s a lot of smoke in the air, and it’s an eerie feeling given the tourist town (Puerto Vallarta) is in,” said Mossop, who is visiting Vancouver.
He said he has been in the city for a week and a half, but now he is not sure when they will leave since the flights have been cancelled.
WestJet, Porter Airlines, Air Canada and Air Transat all confirmed to Global News that flights to and from Puerto Vallarta on Sunday have been canceled. WestJet says it has also canceled 24 additional flights to the city, as well as Guadalajara and Manzanillo.
The leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was killed in a military operation
According to the Mexican embassy in the US, the military operation on Sunday was carried out to arrest Ruben “N,” also known as Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes or “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Officials say that during the operation, the soldiers were attacked and responded. As a result, four members of the company died at the scene and three were seriously injured. Officials said they died while en route to Mexico City.
“Among the latter is Ruben ‘N’ (who is Mencho); however, the relevant authorities will carry out investigative activities to confirm his identity,” the ambassador wrote to X.
Those who were going to the airport were met with unexpected things.
Randy Schmautz, a Vancouver man who lives part-time in Puerto Vallarta and is a private driver in the city, said he saw spikes being thrown on the roads while he was taking people to the airport.
“I got there and came back outside the apartment, I was very happy about that,” he told Global News. “It’s scary, it’s scary.”
In an interview on Sunday, he said that restaurants and shops were all closed, adding that he had never seen a situation like this in Puerto Vallarta.
“Not this one, I’ve never been here,” he said.
People in this province are urged by the Canadian government to keep information to a minimum, follow the advice of local authorities, and monitor local and international media to stay informed, Global Affairs Canada said.
–in files from the Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
