Filmmaker Andy Woodward’s Front-Row Seat To The Aftermath Of El Mencho’s Death

On Sunday, February 22, a Mexican military operation ended with the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mencho, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and, until recently, Mexico’s most-wanted man.

Mexican Defence Secretary Ricardo Trevilla stated on Monday that authorities tracked one of El Mencho’s lovers to a hideout in Tapalpa. After a brief pursuit, Mencho and two bodyguards fled into a wooded area, where they were promptly shot full of holes. Mencho was critically wounded in the shootout and bled out en route to Mexico City. The operation also saw the deaths of six cartel members and the arrest of two others, with three soldiers injured in the process.

For context, El Mencho led the CJNG, the fastest growing cartel in Mexico, and deemed an international terrorist organisation by Trump. Its tendrils control vast swathes of Jalisco, including Guadalajara, and hold influence in states like Colima and Michoacán. The CJNG’s power has even rivaled that of the infamous Sinaloa Cartel, once helmed by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who’s currently serving life in prison. The CJNG is best known for the usual cartel activities, like moving fentanyl, meth, and coke into the U.S., as well as being a general nuisance to anyone trying to stop them. 

Before his death, El Mencho carried the hard-earned title of Mexico’s most-wanted man and had a US$15 million (AU$23.6 million) bounty. Now that he’s gone, the cartel has responded in kind. The body count’s already at 73, including 25 members of the national guard, with vehicles ablaze, roads blocked, and the government scrambling to close schools, enforce lockdowns, and issue stay-at-home orders.

Filmmaker Andy Woodward, known for his work on Noah Beschen’s films, multiple Tenorē campaigns, the well-executed reimagining of the Reef Girl, and perhaps the most nonchalant/accidental stand-tall tube ever, happened to fly into Mexico just hours before the killing. He arrived in Guadalajara, loaded his rental car with hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of camera equipment, and began driving south. Then, as the old saying goes, shit started popping off. 

Andy picks up the story:

“We flew into Guadalajara and then started driving. And there were just vehicles burning on the road, all kinds of chaos. Twenty minutes out of the city, and we were like, what the fuck’s going on? We hit absolutely gridlocked traffic and there was National Guard all over the place.

“When we hit the first fire and then the stoppage I was like damn, this is some crazy Mexico shit, and then slowly throughout the day, every 30 minutes, it was like, this isn’t just like a little weird protesting. There’s some like cartel shit happening. Then we heard the news, and it was like, oh my god, El Mencho got killed. The the head of the snake just got cut off, and we’re in the middle of it all with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of camera gear.”

Instead of sitting in traffic like everyone else, they figured the back streets were a better idea. And while we wouldn’t exactly recommend this kind of behaviour during an irate cartel-enforced lockdown, they were determined to dodge the flaming car traps the cartel had set up.

“After being stuck in traffic with shit on fire for hours, we finally found a shortcut. There was a big bus on one side just burning up, and on the other, a truck blocking the road. Every time we tried a new route, we just kept running into another flaming truck. While it was happening, we saw videos on our phones of them stopping cars in the middle of the road at gunpoint, pull everyone out, and then set the car on fire.”

Eventually, they made it to a hotel, where they’ve been holed up ever since.

“Right now, the whole state’s on lockdown, businesses are closed, and we’re sneaking around to get food. We’re not supposed to go outside. There’s smoke everywhere, and shit has been burning all day. It’s war zone shit. We can’t go back to the city, can’t go to our destination. I’m thinking we might switch to doco mode and try to document the whole thing. Otherwise, we’re going to try to fly out in a couple of days. I love Mexico and have the deepest respect for Mexican people, and I’m really feeling for them.”

Over 1,000 people camped out in buses at Guadalajara’s zoo, hoping the cartel flames wouldn’t reach them. In response, the government sent another 2,500 troops to Jalisco, bringing the total to more than 10,000. While some parts of Mexico are slowly returning to normal, places like Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Ciudad Guzmán, Tijuana, Chiapas, and Michoacán are stuck in lockdown, with residents instructed to stay indoors.