'Impossible to help our families': Montrealers fear for loved ones after violence in Mexico

As violence rocked parts of Mexico on Sunday following the killing of cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, Montrealers with family in the country are on edge.

Eliana León and Ana Isabel López are the owners of Morena Mia, a Mexican restaurant in Montreal's Ville-Marie borough.

The pair, who have been in Montreal for two years, said they're sad and worried for their loved ones in Mexico. They're also saddled with a feeling of helplessness.

"We feel frustrated because it's impossible to help our families," said León.

López, who is from Guadalajara in Jalisco — not from from Puerto Vallarta, a beach town where much of Sunday's violence was centred — still has most of her family living there.

She says violence linked to the cartels is a daily reality, and there's always a concern that something could happen.

López said she's especially worried about her teenage nephews in Guadalajara, saying teens in the city are often taken from their families and forced to join cartels.

"Every day, people disappear in Guadalajara," she said. "Every day."

And it's not just limited to Guadalajara.

At Montreal's Café Latino Comunitario, a hub for the Mexican community, Darinel de Jesus Ramirez Ramirez recounted how he left his home state of Chiapas for Canada three years ago.

"They were grabbing all the young people to put them in the cartel and compete for the area," he said.

He said the violence, which stemmed from a cartel turf war, was awful.

"Sometimes, I don't want to remember it," he said. "Cars were driving by and in the neighbourhood over, they would start throwing bombs. You could hear strong detonations. They were awful."

Now he's worried for his sister and his grandmother, who still live in the area.