Guadalajara, Mexico (AFP) — The Mexican army announced Sunday that it had killed powerful drug lord Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera in an operation that sparked a wave of violence in various parts of the country.

Oseguera, the 59-year-old leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was wounded in a clash with soldiers in the town of Tapalpa, in Jalisco state, and died while being flown to Mexico City, the army said in a statement. He had a US$15-million bounty on his head.

Gunmen retaliating for the raid blocked more than 20 roads in western Jalisco state, which includes Tapalpa, with burning cars and trucks. The violence spread to other states as well.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged citizens to remain calm and said the central government was in coordination with state authorities.

Oseguera, whose nickname was “El Mencho”, is one of the biggest Mexican drug lords to be taken down since the capture of the founders of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Ismael Zambada. Both are now serving time in the United States.

Sunday’s statement said that in addition to Mexico’s own military intelligence, the raid was carried out with “complementary information” from US authorities.

It said six suspected cartel gunmen besides Oseguera were killed and three soldiers were wounded.

As gunmen blocked roads with retaliatory violence, Jalisco state, which is scheduled to host four World Cup games this summer, cancelled all events involving large crowds on Sunday and in-person classes on Monday.

The violence spread to the neighbouring state of Michoacan, where Oseguera’s cartel also has a presence, and to the resort city of Puerto Vallarta.

In a statement on social media released after Sunday’s violence broke out, the US State Department urged US citizens in large parts of Mexico to “shelter in place until further notice”.

Canada also issued a travel warning for some areas, citing “shoot-outs with security forces and explosions” in Jalisco, Guerrero, and Michoacan states.

US and Canadian airlines cancelled dozens of flights to Mexico over the violence.