The U.S. Embassy in Mexico issued a warning to travelers Tuesday about a possible spike in cartel violence following the arrest of a top drug lord.
Diplomatic officials sent out the Security Alert for the state of Jalisco Tuesday evening. In the message, they claim there is an increased “potential for conflicts between police and criminal elements” and asks U.S. tourists to remain vigilant and keep a low profile.
The vague warning comes soon after Mexico’s military arrested Antonio “Tony Montana” Oseguera Cervantes, the brother of the supreme leader of Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG), Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes. The arrest took place on Tuesday in Tlajomulco, a town just south of the Guadalajara metropolitan area in Jalisco.
The arrest can be considered significant since Mexican authorities claim Tony Montana was a top money laundering operator for the cartel who was also in charge of logistics and large-scale weapons purchases.
Breitbart Texas consulted with law enforcement sources who revealed that for a little more than a year, El Mencho suffered serious health problems and forced him to take a back seat in the day-to-day operations of the cartel. His close relatives are now filling leadership gaps.
The arrest also comes days after CJNG gunmen allegedly kidnapped Mexican Army Colonel Jose Isidro Grimaldo. Even though he was initially reported as having been tortured and killed, authorities claim the officer remains missing with no determination of vital status. In a similar confrontation days earlier, CJNG gunmen killed Mexican Army General Jose Silvestre Urzua Padilla of the National Guard. At the time of his death, Urzua Padilla was leading a raid targeting corrupt police officers helping the CJNG to carry out kidnappings.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
“C.P. Mireles” from Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project contributed to this report.
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