Strike against Mexican drug cartel: Authorities arrest son of "El Chapo" - 29 dead

Created: 06/01/2023 20:54

By: Mark Stoffers

Hours of fighting between gang members and security forces sparked the arrest of El Chapo's son in Mexico.

Culiacán - Strike against Mexico's Sinaloa cartel led to violent clashes between suspected gang members and security forces.

The wave of violence that followed the arrest of a son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán left plane passengers terrified and trucks ablaze.

In northwestern Mexico, scenes resembling a conflict region played out for hours.

Cell phone videos even show footage of armed children on the streets of the city of Culiacan.

Buses and trucks scrambled in the streets and vehicles were set on fire, television broadcasts showed on Thursday.

Strike against Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel: after arrest of "El Chapo's" son - gunmen attack airport and barracks

Numerous shots were heard.

Armed forces attacked the airport and a barracks, among other things, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said of the events following the arrest of "El Chapo's" son.

They also blocked numerous roads with burning cars and fought fierce battles with police and armed forces.

In the ensuing fighting between gang members and the security forces, 29 people were killed.

Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said Friday that 19 suspected criminals and 10 soldiers were killed during the raid and hours of shooting.

After the arrest of a son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, Ovidio Guzmán, suspected gang members and security forces fought for hours in northwestern Mexico.

© Martin Urista

In response to the violence on the streets, Governor Rubén Rocha Moya called on people in Sinaloa to stay indoors.

Schools, public buildings and the Culiacan airport have been closed.

The US Embassy in Mexico advised against travel to Sinaloa.

Arrest of "El Chapo's" son: Hard blow to Sinaloa Cartel leadership

Soldiers had previously arrested "El Chapo's" son Ovidio Guzmán, the Mexican government said.

"This is a serious blow to the leadership of the Sinaloa cartel," Sandoval said.

After his father's arrest, Guzmán took over part of the Sinaloa cartel and was considered one of the most important dealers in the drug fentanyl in the Latin American country.

Together with his brothers, he repeatedly fought clashes with other groups within the Sinaloa cartel.

He was arrested once before in 2019 but later released by order of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to stop heavy fighting between criminals and security forces.

According to US officials, he runs a number of methamphetamine manufacturing laboratories, manufacturing between 1.5 and 2.5 tons of the drug per month.

He is also said to have ordered the murders of informants, rivals and a singer who did not want to sing at his wedding.

Arrest of "El Chapo's" son: Father was one of the most powerful drug lords in the world - responsible for almost 3000 murders

His father "El Chapo" was one of the most powerful drug dealers in the world.

The former head of the Sinaloa cartel smuggled tons of cocaine and heroin into the US and made billions from it.

He is also said to have been responsible for up to 3,000 murders.

He twice broke out of maximum security prisons in Mexico.

After his last arrest, he was extradited to the United States and sentenced to life imprisonment.

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US put a $5 million bounty on El Chapo's son

Ovidio Guzmán was taken to Mexico City and turned over to the Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office before Guzmán was transferred to the Altiplano Maximum Security Prison west of Mexico City.

The US State Department put a $5 million bounty on his head.

A Washington court charged him with drug smuggling in 2018.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has now said, however, that Guzmán will at least not be immediately extradited to the United States.

Next week, Mexican President López Obrador, US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet in Mexico City for the North America Summit.

One of the topics at the meeting in the Mexican capital will also be the common security policy.