Authorities said that Mexican drug cartel members set fire to vehicles in two states after a military operation targeted an apparent meeting of gang bosses.
One person has been killed and several arrested after the chaos in Jalisco and Guanajuato, two of Mexico's most violent states, officials said.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said there was a meeting of two gangs.
The tactic used by criminal groups to try and prevent the capture of their members and arrival of security reinforcements was used by burning out vehicles blocking highways in Jalisco.
Surveillance camera footage shows gunmen attempting to take a driver out of his car before setting it on fire near the city of Guadalajara, a stronghold of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
The U.S. consulate in Guadalajara issued a security alert warning to US citizens in the area to seek shelter after the incidents.
It is not the first time that drug cartel members have retaliated to military operations against them.
In the year 2019, cartel members angered by the arrest of notorious drug kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman's son launched a massive assault in the north-western city of Culiacan, prompting security forces to release him.
In March, gunmen clashed with security forces in the north-eastern city of Nuevo Laredo after the capture of an alleged drug lord who was quickly handed over to the United States.