CTV National News for Monday, Feb. 23, 2026: Chaos erupts in Puerto Vallarta following killing of cartel kingpin ‘El Mencho’

·24 min·1 clip

Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat, and Porter are resuming Mexico flights after cartel violence killed El Mencho.

1. CTV National News opens with cartel violence in Mexico after the killing of Jalisco New Generation leader El Mencho, and the broadcast links that violence to Canadians stranded or traveling there. 2. Omar Sachedina anchors the show, while Avery Haynes reports from Mexico City and Raheem Ladhani reports on Canadian travelers and travel advisories. 3. The episode asks whether Mexico’s violence, Trump’s tariffs, and other breaking stories are changing travel, trade, and safety for Canadians. 4. Avery Haynes says retaliation for El Mencho’s killing has been “fiery and swift,” with gunfire, roadblocks, burned cars, and armed narcos at the Guadalajara airport. 5. The report says at least 73 people have been killed, including 25 National Guard members and cartel members, while President Claudia Sheinbaum urges calm in Mexico City. 6. Haynes says the Jalisco cartel controls “huge swaths of the country” and operates in 28 of Mexico’s 32 states. 7. The segment also references CTV’s 2023 W5 interview with El Mencho’s hitmen, called Sicarios, about the avocado industry. 8. Haynes says the killing followed intense pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump and threats of a U.S. military strike if drug flow to the U.S. does not stop. 9. She adds that investigators tracked El Mencho through the location of his girlfriend as she traveled to his compound in Tipalpa, about 400 kilometers from Puerto Vallarta. 10. Raheem Ladhani reports from Toronto that the Government of Canada has moved Mexico from a yellow caution level to an orange warning against non-essential travel. 11. He speaks to a family flying to Cancun who says, “with everything there’s a risk,” and still feels safe traveling. 12. Ladhani says WestJet, Air Canada, and Porter have suspended service to Puerto Vallarta while still serving Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum. 13. The report also raises insurance concerns for Canadians stranded in Puerto Vallarta and for those who already paid for March break trips. 14. Judy Trinh says U.S. and Canadian stocks slumped before Trump’s new tariffs, which he described as “Liberation Day.” 15. She says the Supreme Court limited his emergency economic powers, but the White House plans to use other tools to impose 15% global tariffs. 16. Trinh notes that more than $240 billion Canadian dollars in duties were collected in the past year and that the European Union is pausing ratification of its deal with the U.S. 17. The tone shifts between urgent field reporting, policy explanation, and service journalism about travel and consumer risk. 18. The format mixes anchor narration, live field reports, and short interview-style comments from travelers, officials, and experts. 19. Viewers tracking Mexico safety, tariffs, and cross-border travel would find this useful. 20. Viewers wanting a single-topic deep dive may skip the rapid-fire format.

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