WARMINGTON: Violence in Puerto Vallarta 'like a war zone,’ says stranded Canadian journalist
· Toronto Sun
That was no ordinary day at the beach in Puerto Vallarta for Canadian journalist Dan Dicks.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
And a sunburn is not the only risk for Canucks in Mexico right now. It’s a war zone with extensive carnage. Officials say more than 70 people have died there — largely drug cartel members as well as some serving with the Mexican National Guard.
Authorities are also assessing any collateral damage to tourists or local civilians caught in the middle.
All flights from Canadian carriers, including Air Canada, Porter Airlines and WestJet, have been cancelled in reaction to the turmoil. There are up to 30,000 Canadians stranded. Still, Canada, as of Monday night, was not planning any evacuation flights.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told reporters Monday in her “conversation with Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente” that he “indicated that the situation should stabilize in the coming days and that this was a targeted operation which will not continue.”
But this leaves many people in limbo.
“The situation remains fluid,” said Anand, adding, “all Canadians in affected regions should heed the direction of local authorities and travel only when it is safe to do so.”
Despite Anand saying “I want to assure Canadians that we are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that we are providing the most accurate advice possible,” the way many stranded travellers are translating it is Canadians are on their own there.
Still no word on when I can return home, forced to book multiple nights at the hotel at a new more expensive rate 🙄 I’ll be boots on the grounds reporting for the next few days at least, if anyone appreciates my efforts and would like to pitch in it’s greatly appreciated 🙏👊… pic.twitter.com/AadPCNWLcl
— Dan Dicks (@DanDicksPFT) February 23, 2026
In addition to suspended flights, some don’t have hotel rooms since some of the resorts are now double booked. Anand also said two Canadians had sought help for “injuries that are non-life-threatening,” but did not specify if they were related to the violence.
All hell broke loose
It has become a holiday horror — one that came about very fast, like a rogue wave no one saw coming.
“It was a shock,” Dicks said. “I had been there for five days, and everything was fine.”
He had finally got a free day from the conference he was covering and spoke at in Puerto Vallarta, and was looking forward to going for a swim before heading back to Canada. Instead, Dicks found himself in what looked like the scene from the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Predator, which was actually filmed in Puerto Vallarta in 1987.
All hell had broken loose. Dicks describes the streets looking like an apocalypse movie scene. Minutes before, it was serene beauty on a warm Sunday with smiling and happy tourists enjoying the Mexican beauty and hospitality. Things soon changed. Dicks was forced to drop his plans for a dip in the sea, grabbed his camera, and went to work. He hasn’t stopped since.
“It was wild,” said the freelance journalist with Press for Truth. “When I got to the beach, all could see was smoke.”
He didn’t know what was going on.
“I quickly started to google it and I quickly learned what was going on,” Dicks told the Toronto Sun.
What was going on was the fallout from the Mexican government killing Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) boss El Mencho — known by his birth name of Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes.
Those loyal to him started blowing up things. There have also been media reports of gunshots and firefights — like the one that erupted when Mexican government law enforcement officials captured Mexico’s most notorious and most wanted alleged drug lord ‘El Mencho.’ The cartel created absolute mayhem in response — and they did not care about the tens of thousands of tourists there from around the world — including the thousands of Canadians like Dicks.
“It was scary,” he said.
Burning cars everywhere
Dicks, who is Vancouver-based but also does a lot of work in Toronto and Ottawa, could see cars and buses exploding. Gas stations and local businesses, too. At the airport, a plane was set ablaze as well. It was all-out anarchy. A message was being sent by the cartel, and the government responded to that message.
“It was not safe,” he said. “There were burning cars everywhere. It was intense.”
People stayed in their hotels and while Dicks did get some good footage from his balcony, he ventured out and captured many great frames and videos.
“At one point, I saw a pickup truck come around the corner with eight (gunmen) fully armed, wearing masks,” he said. “It was like a war zone. I didn’t know if they were cartel soldiers or Mexican military soldiers.”
There was bedlam in several Mexican cities and regions Sunday, and things were still problematic Monday.
“They started to open up the roads again, but the cartel damaged a lot of streets and sidewalks and made it very hard to get around,” Dicks said.
In addition to that, there are thousands of people who could not get to the airport. Or, if they did, they found their flights had been cancelled.
“I am stranded here,” he said. “So many Canadians are. We have no idea when we can come home or how we will come home.”
Certainly, Premier Doug Ford has warned Ontarians to not travel to Mexico. While disintegrating Cuba is also not getting flights and with many Canadians boycotting the United States, Ford suggested people pick “another island” or find somewhere in Canada to go.
Probably good advice at this time. Too late for those who are stuck, though.
Meanwhile, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum asked her citizens and visitors to “stay calm” while they sort things out while insisting “most parts of the country, activities are proceeding normally.”
But not in Puerto Vallarta, which is Ground Zero for this drug war that has shocked the world.