‘A little bit surreal’: Sask. tourists among those in Puerto Vallarta during cartel crackdown

Stacey Hein on what Saskatchewan vacationers are seeing in Mexico, as violence between cartel and state authorities continues in the streets.

Violence erupted in Puerto Vallarta after a military crackdown on a powerful cartel, unsettling one of Mexico’s busiest tourist destinations and affecting Saskatchewan travelers among the more than 26,000 Canadians registered in the country.

What was meant to be a vacation in paradise quickly turned chaotic for Montgomery and Marissa Lewis as violence spread across the city Sunday, with vehicles and buildings set on fire and roadways blocked throughout the area.

The Saskatoon couple said they were heading out for breakfast when they noticed thick black smoke filling the sky.

“As soon as we walked out the door, we got a really good view of everything starting to unfold,” Montgomery Lewis told CTV News.

Your Morning Saskatchewan host Mike Ciona was also in Puerto Vallarta on a family vacation.

“It’s a little bit surreal,” Ciona said. “When you can see the smog and you’re hearing the news reports.”

• Sask. flights to Puerto Vallarta, other Mexican destinations grounded, due to civil unrest

He said people at the resort were working together to ensure everyone remained safe.

The violence followed a military operation targeting the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG. Mexican forces killed the group’s leader, Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” in what authorities described as one of the most significant blows against organized crime in years.

The army and National Guard were deployed in an effort to restore order.

Global Affairs Canada updated its travel advisory for Mexico, urging Canadians in affected areas to exercise a high degree of caution and monitor local guidance.

Montgomery said tensions remain high.

“There’s still not a whole lot of activity in the streets. As far as we know there doesn’t seem to be any imminent danger, but you can definitely feel the nervousness and tension with people at the resort,” he said.

Ciona said the beach was noticeably quieter Monday morning.

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“I could probably count about 50 people in my line of sight, where before there would have been hundreds, if not thousands, on the beach by this time,” he said.

Speaking Monday, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she has been in contact with her Mexican counterpart and was told the situation is expected to stabilize in the coming days.