Canadians stranded in Puerto Vallarta amid escalating violence in Mexico’s Jalisco state say while they’re feeling calm locked down in their hotels, the surrounding area looks like a “war zone.”
A shelter in place order has been issued in the city, with the state’s governor saying federal forces carried out an operation in Tapalpa early Sunday morning, leading to clashes in the area.
“People are mostly calm and just staying tight and sort of maybe a bit quieter than usual and trying to figure out what’s really going on,” said Jeff Willis, a man from Manitoba currently staying in Puerto Vallarta. “But behind our unit, you can see multiple, multiple areas of smoke and it looks like a war zone.”
Willis said he is staying in the city near the marina, about 10 minutes from the airport which has been shut down.
He told Global News he was notified by WestJet that his flight was cancelled.
Jalisco state Gov. Pablo Lemus Navarro said in a post on social media a few hours after the reported operation that he had given the order to activate a code red.
He said vehicles have been burned and blocked in some places to hinder the actions of authorities.
Global Affairs Canada issued a notice on its travel advisory page for Mexico on Sunday, warning of violence and roadblocks in the country’s southwestern region.
“Criminal groups have set up roadblocks with burning vehicles in southwestern Mexico,” the notice said. “There have been shootouts with security forces and explosions.”
The agency said the roadblocks are “especially” found in Jalisco State, including Puerto Vallarta; Guerrero State, including Acapulco, and Michoacan State.
The smell from the fires has been noticeable, but Global BC producer Joan Marshall said in an interview from a condo near the city’s marina there were also “weird” sounds.
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“You hear sirens quite a bit because there’s a hospital nearby, but there were some really weird car racing sounds, now that I think back, and there were a lot of sirens after that,” Marshall said. “Then I got up and looked out and I thought, ‘What is that haze in the air?’ and it turned out walking outside it was smoke from all the fires and you could smell this really acrid smell.”
Steve Mossop said he’s also stranded in Puerto Vallarta, and though he told Global News he feels safe in his hotel, he added it’s an “eerie” situation.
“There’s thick smoke lingering in the air, and it’s a bit of an eerie feeling given the tourist city that (Puerto Vallarta) is,” said Mossop, who is visiting from Vancouver.
He said he’s been in the city for the past week and a half, but now he’s not sure when they’ll get out given flights have been cancelled.
While some Canadians say they, overall, feel safe Melissa Godbout from Chilliwack, B.C. said she’s feeling “unsettled.”
“I’m starting to feel a little bit anxious, definitely very unsettled, I’m here with my kids, my whole family,” she told Global BC. “What’s really kind of alarming is that the resort seems to be carrying on like normal. It’s largely Mexican nationals staying here and they’re still carrying on swimming in the pool, playing ping pong, like it’s another day. On one hand it seems safe, but on the other hand definitely not at all.”
WestJet, Porter Airlines, Air Canada and Air Transat have all confirmed to Global News that flights to and from Puerto Vallarta on Sunday have been cancelled. WestJet says it has also cancelled 24 added flights to the city, as well as Guadalajara and Manzanillo.
Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader killed in military operation
According to the Mexican embassy in the U.S., the military operation on Sunday was conducted to achieve the arrest of Ruben “N,” also known as Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes or “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Officials say during the operation, military personnel were attacked and they responded. As a result, four members of the cartel died at the scene and three others were severely wounded. Officials said they died during an airlift to Mexico City.
“Among the latter is Ruben ‘N’ (alias Mencho); however, the corresponding authorities will be in charge of the forensic activities to confirm his identification,” the embassy wrote on X.
Those who were travelling to the airport were greeted by some unexpected sights.
Randy Schmautz, a Vancouver man who lives part-time in Puerto Vallarta and is a private driver in the city, said he saw spikes thrown on the roads as he drove some people to the airport.
“I did make it there and back without a flat, I was quite happy about that,” he told Global News. “It’s eerie, it’s scary.”
He said in an interview Sunday that restaurants and stores were all closed, adding he’d never seen a situation like this in Puerto Vallarta.
“Not this one, never here,” he said.
People in the state are being urged by the Canadian government to keep a low profile, follow the advice of local authorities, and monitor local and international media to stay informed, Global Affairs Canada says.
—with files from Global News’ Angela Jung, Hersh Singh and Jordan Armstrong, and The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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