Attacks continue in Sinaloa despite the arrest of Ovidio Guzmán 4:40
(CNN Spanish) ––
The Secretary of National Defense of Mexico, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, explained that the operation in which Ovidio Guzmán, son of the convicted leader of the Sinaloa Cartel Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was arrested this Thursday, took “ six months of reconnaissance and surveillance work" in the area.
Ovidio Guzmán, son of Chapo Guzmán, is captured in an operation in Sinaloa
He added that elements of the National Guard and the Army, in coordination with the Attorney General's Office and the Sinaloa Public Security Secretariat, participated in the joint operation in Culiacán, Sinaloa, in which "armed personnel" were also detained. which was transported in several vans.
Who is Ovidio Guzmán and why is his capture important?
3:05
Sandoval pointed out that, later, the police established a fence around the vehicles and asked those who were inside to come down to be checked.
He then indicated that they refused and proceeded to attack the troops.
"When they had a real, current and imminent threat that endangered their lives, they acted in accordance with the provisions of the National Law on the use of force," he said at a press conference from Mexico City.
Culiacán dawns with clashes and roadblocks
The official explained that, by being face to face with the passengers of the vehicles, they were able to verify that among them was Ovidio Guzmán in possession of weapons, for which they proceeded to arrest him.
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Sandoval added that after this arrest there were 19 blockades and armed attacks in the city of Culiacán, including the airport and Air Base number 10 —belonging to the Armed Forces.
The Secretary of Defense assured that Ovidio Guzmán leads "the fraction of Minors, related to the Pacific Cartel."
"This arrest represents a forceful blow to the leadership of the Pacific cartel," he said.
Who is Ovidio Guzmán López, son of Chapo Guzmán?
Sandoval said that the accused has already been transferred to Mexico City, where he is in the facilities of the Specialized Prosecutor for Organized Crime.
There it will be made available to the Public Ministry, he explained.
For her part, the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, assured that the operation was carried out strategically to "avoid affecting the population."
Despite this, "violent events" have been recorded in the town since early morning.
So far, the authorities report that there have been no deaths from the acts of violence unleashed in Culiacán.
The Secretary of Public Security of Sinaloa, Cristóbal Castañeda, said that seven federal police officers and an undetermined number of members of the Armed Forces were injured.
This was the 'Culiacanazo', the failed operation of 2019
Ovidio Guzmán was detained for the first time on October 17, 2019 during a military operation in Culiacán, Sinaloa, but was released after a wave of violence broke out after his arrest that included death threats against families in the city.
At that time, the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, argued that keeping him in custody would have caused the death of dozens of people.
"I ordered the operation to be stopped and this alleged criminal released," he said at the time.
Ovidio Guzmán was accused by the United States Department of Justice of conspiracy to distribute drugs to be imported into the country from 2008 to 2018.
El Chapo GuzmanOvidio Guzmán