Honda suspends operations in western Mexico following wave of violence

• AFP

• Published On Feb 25, 2026 at 04:40 PM IST

The company said the suspension is a precautionary measure while it assesses the security situation.

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Japanese car manufacturer Honda suspended operations in the western Mexican city of Guadalajara, the company said on Tuesday, after a wave of violence following the death in a military operation of “El Mencho,” the powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

“As a precautionary measure, our operations in our installations in Guadalajara were temporarily suspended on Monday, February 23,” Daniela Sanchez, a spokesperson for the car factory, told AFP, explaining that activities would be restarted “when appropriate.”

The automotive giant is currently “assessing the (security) situation” after gunmen for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) burned vehicles and blocked highways in 20 of the country’s 32 states on Sunday, an act of revenge for the killing of their leader, Nemesio Oseguera, also known as “El Mencho.”

These violent acts were concentrated in Guadalajara and the surrounding metropolitan area, where the Japanese manufacturer has a plant.

The city, the capital of Jalisco, will host four games for the 2026 World Cup, which Mexico is jointly hosting with the United States and Canada.

During the military operation carried out in the western state of Jalisco to capture the 59-year-old druglord, as well as subsequent clashes, at least 27 state security agents, 46 presumed criminals, and one civilian were killed.

Oseguera was wounded, and died while en route to a hospital in a helicopter.

The state government said in a communique on Tuesday that the public transport system in Guadalajara was operating at 70 percent capacity, and announced that schools would resume classes on Wednesday.

Mexico is an automotive manufacturing hub and hosts factories for several major car manufacturers, including Ford, General Motors, BMW, and Audi. The sector accounts for 3.6 percent of the country’s GDP.