DEVELOPING: CJNG fighters launched a reported prison break at Ixtapa prison in Puerto Vallarta and attacked a National Guard base with explosives in San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco (21.2903481, -102.2682162), between 6:45 PM and 7:15 PM UTC on February 22, 2026, as retaliation for the federal killing of leader El Mencho in Talpa de Allende earlier today, according to MoloWarMonitor, natsecboogie, and All_Source_News on X. Multiple vehicles continued burning in a Costco parking lot in Puerto Vallarta, per sentdefender on X, while a bus burned as a roadblock in Zapopan, as captured by REUTERS/Gabriel Trujillo via idreesali114 on X. Convenience stores were set ablaze in Jalisco, causing public panic, according to DiariodeMorelos and vivavoznoticias on X. The Security Cabinet stated that Jalisco airports operate normally with no incidents reported, as per GabSeguridadMX on X. President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the security cabinet will brief on El Mencho's elimination shortly, stated at an event in Coahuila, according to lopez doriga on X. A CJNG-attributed message from Tesistán, Zapopan threatened home invasions at 5:00 PM if demands unmet, per FaytuksNetwork on X. Footage showed mall store attack damage in Guadalajara (20.69954, -103.33706), geolocated by zarGEOINT citing GeoConfirmed and FaytuksNetwork. Roadblocks and fires persisted across six states including Jalisco, Michoacán, and Guanajuato, with a mapping tool tracking incidents, as reported by WorldCrimeIntel and rafaelprietoc on X. A van and bus fire on the Mexico-Puebla highway near Santa Rita Tlahuapan was extinguished but left the road blocked toward CDMX, per soyluisgabriel1 on X. These build on prior CJNG airport attacks, vehicle burnings, and blockades in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta following the Tapalpa-area operation.
