DEVELOPING: CJNG cartel members set civilian vehicles ablaze and blocked highways across Jalisco, including Puerto Vallarta and Tlaquepaque, in retaliation to a federal operation in Tapalpa targeting one of their leaders, with incidents reported from 4:15 PM to 4:45 PM UTC on February 22, 2026. Blogdelnarcomex on X attributed the attacks directly to CJNG following the Tapalpa raid. A burning truck appeared near Akron Stadium, an Oxxo store was set on fire at Circunvalación División del Norte and Juan Zubaran in Jardines Alcalde neighborhood, and another vehicle burned at Lázaro Cárdenas Avenue and Río Seco Street in San Pedro, Tlaquepaque, according to GNocturnaMX and Libro_negro_ on X during the 29-minute window. Narco blockades continued in Puerto Vallarta, as reported by All_Source_News, with the entire southern coast facing burnings and highway closures per AlertaGDL cited by idn__03. Mexican Army forces were active in Tapalpa, per All_Source_News citing codigo725Z, while a photo showed possible CJNG members mobilizing in La Barca, Jalisco. Separate narco blockades occurred in Uruapan, Michoacán, extending violence to a third state, according to All_Source_News citing Eco1_LVM. This escalates prior clashes and blockades from the Tapalpa operation earlier today, where Governor Pablo Lemus activated Code Red, suspended public transport, and urged residents to stay home, as stated in his X post and confirmed by Jalisco government reports in the previous period.
