Locals Visiting Mexico during Cartel Violence Share their Stories

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) When a drug lord known as "El Mencho died in the town of Tapalpa, Mexico on Sunday during a mission to capture him, flight delays followed.

Six members of the Santa Barbara Puerto Vallarta Sister Cities committee had just spent a week at the El Grullo Health Spa in the state of Jalisco about an hour away.

The driver hired to take them to the airport for their return flight could not pick them up from their hotel due to burning cars and buses in the road.

"We just came to detox for 7 days and now this happened and now we are blessed that we are safe," said Marti Correa de Garcia.

Her husband Gil Garcia said she had planned the trip.

Garcia, who served on the Santa Barbara City Council decades ago, said they were close to the danger and moved to a second hotel.

"Yesterday was a very violet day with helicopters flying over some of them landed and had a confrontation, said Garcia. 

"There was a ton of military all over the place ,checkpoints in rural towns, checkpoints in more populated areas, didn't really piece it together, but we get to the airport and of course all the highways were shut down, so the crew didn't make it until several hours later so the flight was delayed," said Hamilton.

Hamilton made it to Dallas and stayed over before catching another flight home on Monday.

He credits his parents and grandparents for helping his wife care for their children, while he was delayed."

"Stressful 24 hours, I'd say, but yeah, that is kind of it in a nutshell, it was scary to an extent, more uncertain," said Hamilton.

Travel consultant including Susan Do of Montecito Village Travel on State Street in Santa Barbara said they keep in touch with their clients.

"So it is really helpful to have a travel agent because we have suppliers who are boots on the ground and we use a destination management company, "said Do "I have a client that actually landed in Mexico City last night and I talked to her today and everything great the tour company down there is taking great care of her." 

Do said insurance is always a good idea, but does'nt cover acts of war.

This is one trip the Sister Cities Committee won't soon forget.

"Hopefuly we will be on our way to Santa Barbara, so hopefully we will see you soon," said Correa de Garcia.

For more travel information visit https://montecitovillagetravel.com