Tampa Bay area tourists witness violent cartel retaliation in Mexico after 'El Mencho' killed

Some Bay Area residents stranded in Mexico

FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia reports. 

Tampa, Fla. - After one of Mexico’s most powerful drug lords was killed over the weekend, some Tampa Bay locals found themselves with a front row seat to the explosive retaliation happening there.

The backstory:

Over the weekend, the Mexican army took down Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho. According to Associated Press reporting, his powerful and aggressive cartel is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the United States.

Following his death, cartel members immediately fought back, unleashing a coordinated wave of violence near popular tourist destinations. 

Cartel members hijacked and torched vehicles to block major highways. Officials reported around 250 cartel roadblocks across 20 Mexican states amid deadly clashes between the Mexican National Guard and cartel suspects.

Local perspective:

Tourists witnessed some of this chaos near their Airbnbs and resorts. 

"The buses, the cars burned out, the power lines down, stores looted and burned out," said St. Petersburg resident Rob McElrath, who landed in Mexico on Friday for his first-ever trip to Puerto Vallarta.

"We left our Airbnb and immediately smelled the smell of burning gasoline," McElrath added. "Walked a couple of blocks and there were actually four cars on fire about two blocks from our Airbnb."

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On Monday morning, he moved from his Airbnb to a resort – a move that was always part of his vacation plans – but he’s grateful for the security there. 

"A lot of the bigger grocery stores and pharmacies are burnt out or looted," McElrath said, describing what he saw while heading to his resort. "Long lines waiting to get into any of the smaller stores that have food or water. So a lot of people are waiting there. The resort that we're at, fortunately, has food right now for the guests here. It sounds like that might run out a little bit later today. So we're waiting to kind of see how that plays out. But we at least have a room and are safe in an area with security for now."

What's next:

The violent fallout prompted the U.S. State Department to issue urgent travel warnings, encouraging any Americans in certain areas of Mexico to shelter in place.

With Mexican military helicopters circling overhead and flights in and out of the area facing severe disruptions, McElrath said he has considered cutting his vacation short. In Monday’s alert, the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico said, "In Puerto Vallarta, flights continue to be disrupted due to the availability of flight crews. The Embassy is in close contact with airlines to monitor their plans."

"At some point, we did hear that they were pulling people out of cabs and starting to set the cabs on fire," McElrath added. "So I just want to make sure that it's safe to actually get to the airport, too, before we do that."

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McElrath told FOX 13 that conditions appeared somewhat calmer Monday compared to Sunday, but he knows the situation remains fluid. 

"Today’s a different story than tomorrow," he said. "But we'll just take this day by day and see how that unfolds."