Holiday haven, last date to crime scene: The resort where Mexican drug lord El Mencho was hiding

Published on Feb 25, 2026 02:22 pm IST

Mexican security forces killed Nemesio Oseguera, aka El Mencho, the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, during a dawn operation at a resort in Tapalpa.

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Here is an aerial view of the upscale resort, the “Tapalpa Country Club” in Tapalpa, Jalisco state, Mexico, where Colombian drug lord “El Mencho” was last found hiding before he was killed in a military operation. (Photo by Ulises RUIZ / AFP)(AFP)

Published on Feb 25, 2026 02:22 pm IST

Here is an aerial view of the upscale resort, the “Tapalpa Country Club” in Tapalpa, Jalisco state, Mexico, where Colombian drug lord “El Mencho” was last found hiding before he was killed in a military operation. (Photo by Ulises RUIZ / AFP)(AFP)

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Gunfire and the sound of helicopters shattered the calm of the holiday resort in the western Mexican town of Tapalpa early on Sunday, sending shockwaves through tourists who had been enjoying a quiet getaway. Visitors staying at the luxury cabins described scenes of fear and confusion as heavy gunfire broke out at dawn. One tourist said the sound of automatic weapons firing from both the ground and the air grew steadily louder, creating an atmosphere of intense dread. According to his account, the exchange of fire continued for nearly two hours. (Photo by Ulises RUIZ / AFP)(AFP)

Published on Feb 25, 2026 02:22 pm IST

Gunfire and the sound of helicopters shattered the calm of the holiday resort in the western Mexican town of Tapalpa early on Sunday, sending shockwaves through tourists who had been enjoying a quiet getaway. Visitors staying at the luxury cabins described scenes of fear and confusion as heavy gunfire broke out at dawn. One tourist said the sound of automatic weapons firing from both the ground and the air grew steadily louder, creating an atmosphere of intense dread. According to his account, the exchange of fire continued for nearly two hours. (Photo by Ulises RUIZ / AFP)(AFP)

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The chaos unfolded during a large-scale operation by Mexican security forces targeting Nemesio Oseguera, the country’s most wanted drug lord and head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Officials said Oseguera attempted to escape through the surrounding mountainous terrain but was injured during the operation and later died while being taken to hospital.(REUTERS)

Published on Feb 25, 2026 02:22 pm IST

The chaos unfolded during a large-scale operation by Mexican security forces targeting Nemesio Oseguera, the country’s most wanted drug lord and head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Officials said Oseguera attempted to escape through the surrounding mountainous terrain but was injured during the operation and later died while being taken to hospital.(REUTERS)

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Local authorities initially asked tourists and residents to remain indoors as the operation unfolded. Those staying at the exclusive resort were eventually allowed to leave two days later, after security forces secured the area. Investigators believe Oseguera had been lying low at the resort with a companion, whom officials say played a role in helping authorities trace his location. Despite the cartel leader’s presence, he had largely avoided attention while staying at the Tapalpa Country Club. (Photo by Ulises RUIZ / AFP)(AFP)

Published on Feb 25, 2026 02:22 pm IST

Local authorities initially asked tourists and residents to remain indoors as the operation unfolded. Those staying at the exclusive resort were eventually allowed to leave two days later, after security forces secured the area. Investigators believe Oseguera had been lying low at the resort with a companion, whom officials say played a role in helping authorities trace his location. Despite the cartel leader’s presence, he had largely avoided attention while staying at the Tapalpa Country Club. (Photo by Ulises RUIZ / AFP)(AFP)

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The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the main square of Tapalpa, Jalisco state, Mexico, where police sealed off the resort area after the clash. Locals reported that Oseguera’s two-storey stone villa, adorned with large religious imagery, was left riddled with bullet casings, alongside an abandoned Jeep. Images circulating in Mexican media showed disordered rooms, open drawers, unmade beds, and a table displaying religious icons, candles, handwritten prayers, and medication linked to the cartel leader’s long-standing kidney illness. (Photo by Ulises RUIZ / AFP)(AFP)

Published on Feb 25, 2026 02:22 pm IST

The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the main square of Tapalpa, Jalisco state, Mexico, where police sealed off the resort area after the clash. Locals reported that Oseguera’s two-storey stone villa, adorned with large religious imagery, was left riddled with bullet casings, alongside an abandoned Jeep. Images circulating in Mexican media showed disordered rooms, open drawers, unmade beds, and a table displaying religious icons, candles, handwritten prayers, and medication linked to the cartel leader’s long-standing kidney illness. (Photo by Ulises RUIZ / AFP)(AFP)

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Tourists walk past the burnt wreckage of buses after a series of blockades and attacks by organized crime following the military operation in Jalisco. The killing triggered a wave of violent retaliation by the cartel, with vehicles and buses set ablaze across multiple states.(REUTERS)

Published on Feb 25, 2026 02:22 pm IST

Tourists walk past the burnt wreckage of buses after a series of blockades and attacks by organized crime following the military operation in Jalisco. The killing triggered a wave of violent retaliation by the cartel, with vehicles and buses set ablaze across multiple states.(REUTERS)

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A store burned by organized crime groups two days earlier in response to the operation in Jalisco, in Puerto Vallarta, which is known as a paradise, but after the cartel violence on February 22, following the death of “El Mencho”, this Pacific resort city looks more like a war zone, with dozens of burned vehicles and vandalized shops. (Photo by Alfredo ESTRELLA / AFP)(AFP)

Published on Feb 25, 2026 02:22 pm IST

A store burned by organized crime groups two days earlier in response to the operation in Jalisco, in Puerto Vallarta, which is known as a paradise, but after the cartel violence on February 22, following the death of “El Mencho”, this Pacific resort city looks more like a war zone, with dozens of burned vehicles and vandalized shops. (Photo by Alfredo ESTRELLA / AFP)(AFP)

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A burnt store in Jalisco. By Tuesday, Tapalpa, usually bustling with weekend visitors, was eerily quiet as tourists fled the town.(REUTERS)

Published on Feb 25, 2026 02:22 pm IST

A burnt store in Jalisco. By Tuesday, Tapalpa, usually bustling with weekend visitors, was eerily quiet as tourists fled the town.(REUTERS)

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Burned vehicles over the "La Desembocada" bridge in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco State, following the narco chaos on after the death of the druglord “El Mencho,” The popular tourist destination saw dozens of incinerated vehicles line the streets and vandalized stores remain empty. (Photo by Alfredo ESTRELLA / AFP)(AFP)

Published on Feb 25, 2026 02:22 pm IST

Burned vehicles over the "La Desembocada" bridge in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco State, following the narco chaos on after the death of the druglord “El Mencho,” The popular tourist destination saw dozens of incinerated vehicles line the streets and vandalized stores remain empty. (Photo by Alfredo ESTRELLA / AFP)(AFP)

News / Photos / News Photos / Holiday haven, last date to crime scene: The resort where Mexican drug lord El Mencho was hiding

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