Smoke filled the sky above the swanky beach town of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, as shops and cars were set ablaze by cartel members after the government killed a major drug kingpin Sunday, leaving tourists and residents cowering in fear.

In nine years of wintering in Puerto Vallarta, the sun-washed resort city on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, Berl Schwartz has heard plenty of rumors about the cartel presence.

Chicagoans visiting Mexico described the tense moments they spent hiding or running away from men carrying guns. Others with roots in western Mexico said the violence hits close to home.

The killing of powerful cartel leader ‘El Mencho’ led to hours of roadblocks with vehicles and businesses set on fire in Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and elsewhere.

After cartel violence shut down flights and blocked roads in Puerto Vallarta, Americans are canceling vacations and rethinking future travel plans.

The U.S. Treasury Department has issued sanctions against five individuals, a timeshare resort and another 17 companies with alleged ties to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).