DEVELOPING: The Mexican Secretariat of National Defense confirmed Ruben “N” (alias El Mencho), CJNG leader, died during a Special Forces operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco, earlier today, with four other CJNG members killed on site and three more, including El Mencho, during transfer to Mexico City between 7:15 PM and 7:45 PM UTC on February 22, 2026, as stated in an official press release by @Defensamx1 on X; simultaneous CJNG prison break attempt reported at Puente Grande prison with a fire, per visionergeo on X. Mexican Air Force UH-60 Black Hawks conducted air-to-ground attacks against CJNG sicario convoys in Jalisco, while CJNG mercenaries engaged security forces near a Pemex facility, according to media_express_ and visionergeo on X. Airlines canceled flights at Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta airports due to security situations, with Alaska Airlines suspending service to Puerto Vallarta until further notice, as reported by flightradar24 and AlertaNews24 on X. Jalisco authorities suspended schools and large public gatherings statewide, with in-person classes canceled tomorrow, per L_ThinkTank, RaulGtzNR, and lopez doriga on X. CJNG members set a truck and trailer ablaze on a Puerto Vallarta highway and burned a bus at kilometer 133 on the Mexico-Puebla highway, halting traffic toward Mexico City, according to sentdefender and LupisCrisanto on X. Additional narco-blockades reported at multiple Guadalajara intersections including Av. Aviación and Ocampo, and Av. Vallarta and Av. Aviación, per Zulu via All_Source_News on X. A car was set on fire in a Ley parking lot on Torres Landa Boulevard in León, Guanajuato, as captured by luz_adriana_gto on X. The Tapalpa operation, supported by U.S. intelligence, resulted in two CJNG arrests, seizure of armored vehicles and rocket launchers, and three injured Mexican soldiers transferred to Mexico City, per the @Defensamx1 release. National Guard and Army reinforcements from central Mexico and bordering states are concentrating in Jalisco. These events follow prior CJNG attacks on Guadalajara Airport, vehicle burnings, and blockades reported in previous windows today.
