Clashes erupted in Mexico on Sunday after the killing of drug lord El Mencho, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). As cartel violence paralysed traffic on the roads and halted flights in and out of Mexico, mayhem broke out in some of the country’s largest airports.
In the midst of this, one American company went above and beyond to get their employee out of Mexico.
The American cloud application company Vercel booked tickets on every US-bound flight out of Mexico’s Guadalajara so one of their employees could escape the country.
Andrew Barba, the employee in question, expressed gratitude towards his employer in an X post.
“Beyond grateful”
Barba, a software engineer at Vercel, said that he and his wife were in Guadalajara when violence broke out at the airport. The couple hid in the bathroom. With internet barely working and several flights cancelled, they were uncertain of when they would be able to escape.
Back in the United States, the Vercel leadership team got to work to ensure their safety. According to Barba, the team booked tickets on every flight to the US, hoping that one would take off.
Their bet eventually paid off when Barba and his wife managed to get on one flight and landed in Dallas, Texas.
“10 hours ago I was in Guadalajara on way to Puerto Vallarta when chaos broke out in the airport and had to hide in a bathroom. Vercel leadership got together and didn’t stop until my wife and I were safe,” Barba said in his X post.
“Internet barely worked so they booked every US bound flight on our behalf, chancing that one would take off. Eventually one did. We just landed in Dallas,” he said.
The Vercel employee of nearly three years expressed his gratitude towards the San Francisco-headquartered company. “The US flight was Plan A but they were ready to act on a Plan B and Plan C if they had to. We are beyond grateful,” he wrote.
Violence in Mexico
School was canceled in several Mexican states and local and foreign governments alike warned their citizens to stay inside, as widespread violence erupted following the army’s killing of the powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho” was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, notorious for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen attacks against government officials who challenged it.
He was killed during a shoot-out in his home state of Jalisco as the Mexican military attempted to capture him. Cartel members responded with violence across the country, blocking roads and setting fire to vehicles.