EL PAÍS offers the last hour of the recapture of Ovidio Guzmán free of charge as a public service.
If you want to support our journalism, subscribe.
The arrest of Ovidio Guzmán, son of El Chapo and one of the leaders of the Sinaloa cartel, has unleashed a wave of violence in Culiacán.
Blockades and shootings have been taking place since dawn in the state capital.
The situation is reminiscent of what happened in 2019, when the National Guard detained Ovidio and pressure from drug traffickers forced the Government to release him to avoid attacks on the civilian population, on a black day that became known as the
Culiacanazo
.
This Thursday, school classes have been suspended and also all services in the city.
The Government of Sinaloa has sent a message to all public workers not to report to their jobs.
The governor, the Morenista Rubén Rocha Moya, has asked people not to leave his house and to remain calm.
The United States embassy in Mexico has issued an alert reminding its citizens "not to travel" to Sinaloa.
Press conference of the Security Cabinet on the situation in Sinaloa
Press conference of the Security Cabinet on the situation in Sinaloa Photo: Marcos Vizcarra (AFP)
new posts
The two black Thursdays of Ovidio Guzmán
Three years and three months after the Culiacanazo, the Mexican Army finally arrested Ovidio Guzmán, son of El Chapo, in Sinaloa, in the north of the country, on Thursday.
Before noon, a military plane has transferred the drug trafficker to the capital and has gone to the number one Military Camp in Mexico City.
The capture took place at dawn and has generated a brutal reaction from Guzmán's criminal group, known as Los Chapitos, one of the factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Read Pablo Ferri's chronicle from Mexico
(Photo:
Ovidio Guzmán López, during his first arrest, in Culiacán, on October 17, 2019 | AP)
04:43
copy link
Culiacán airport will remain closed this Friday
The Federal Civil Aviation Agency of Mexico has reported that the Culiacán airport "will remain closed tomorrow for commercial operations."
However, the airports of Mazatlán, Los Mochis and Ciudad Obregón will determine it first thing this Friday.
04:40
copy link
Most of the activities of the State of Sinaloa will resume this Friday
The authorities of the
State of Sinaloa
report that for tomorrow they plan to continue with their normal activity after the wave of violence on Thursday.
This is the message addressed to the media:
"Friends of the media, just to clarify that for the moment there are no indications of suspension of activities in State Government offices for this Friday"
03:53
copy link
Local media collect
a photo
that circulates on social networks where
Ovidio Guzmán
allegedly appears already detained and escorted by the police.
Specifically, the image would correspond to the moment in which Guzmán boards the military helicopter in which he was transferred from the headquarters of the Prosecutor's Office, in Mexico City, to the Altiplano prison, in the State of Mexico.
02:38
copy link
One soldier dead and 27 wounded
is for the moment the balance of the day of violence in Culiacán.
The governor of Sinaloa Rubén Rocha Moya has confirmed that a member of the National Guard died during the operation to capture Ovidio Guzmán.
The local president assured that they are already "raising the rubble" after more than 12 hours of blockades and confrontations.
Among the 27 wounded by firearms are three civilians.
01:17
copy link
The Secretary of Public Security of the State of Sinaloa, Cristóbal Casatañeda, insists on warning messages to the population so that, except in case of necessity, they do not leave their homes.
12:55 p.m.
copy link
The capo, transferred to the Altiplano prison
After his arrival in Mexico City, Ovido Guzmán is transferred to the Altiplano prison.
Several units of the Army and the National Guard have reinforced the entrance to the prison while waiting for the drug trafficker to arrive, captured in the morning in Culiacán.
Authorities have not reported whether Guzmán will be extradited to the United States, where he has had a warrant to face drug charges since September 2019.
12:48 p.m.
copy link
12:04 p.m.
copy link
Companies such as
Walmart
,
Femsa
,
Costco
and
Estafeta
announce that they are suspending their activities in different cities of Sinaloa due to the wave of violence after the capture of Ovidio Guzmán
05 Jan 2023 - 23:32 UTC
copy link
Flights canceled in Sinaloa
The Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) has reported that, so far, more than 100 flights from Sinaloa airports have been cancelled.
From the Mazatlán airport, 32 operations were canceled and from the Culiacán aerodrome, 70. Commercial airlines are serving passengers who have been affected by the cancellation of flights.
05 Jan 2023 - 22:39 UTC
copy link
The blockades continue in Sinaloa
05 Jan 2023 - 22:18 UTC
copy link
States bordering Sinaloa prepare for the "cockroach effect" of members of the drug cartels
After the capture of Ovidio Guzmán, son of El Chapo Guzmán, the states adjacent to Sinaloa are preparing by reinforcing their security at their common borders.
Sonora, Durango, Chihuahua, and Nayarit are very attentive to the possible consequences that the capture of the wanted criminal may cause.
In Sinaloa, violence has broken out throughout the state and several highways and airports have been blocked.
In the State of Durango, the head of the Ministry of Public Security, Óscar Armando Galván Villarreal, has assured that, for the moment and although they remain vigilant, there are no major problems in the region.
"At this moment we can feel confident that we have an adequate strategy in coordination with the rest of the institutions," reported Galván.
In Nayarit, the authorities have carried out a deployment of law enforcement personnel "to reinforce security tasks and safeguard citizens on the northern borders of the entity."
The objective is to avoid the so-called "cockroach effect" that usually occurs in this type of situation, in which the individuals of the cartels that operate in Sinaloa move to other states until the situation calms down.
05 Jan 2023 - 21:01 UTC
copy link
Aeroméxico extends flight cancellations to Sonora
The Mexican airline has announced that it will also cancel its operations to the Ciudad Obregón airport in Sonora.
This State is a neighbor of Sinaloa and is also part of the territory controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel.
The airline has avoided giving further explanations about the decision to cancel flights to that destination.
05 Jan 2023 - 20:57 UTC
copy link
The governor of Sinaloa asks the inhabitants of his state for caution
Rubén Rocha has asked the inhabitants of Sinaloa not to lower their guard and avoid going out into the street.
In an interview with
Milenio Televisión,
he confirmed that at least 18 people are injured and are being treated at local hospitals, including civilians and soldiers.
"We are not in a situation of absolute alarm," he said.
Rocha assures that the situation in the state capital is under control.
05 Jan 2023 - 20:24 UTC
copy link
Ovidio Guzmán remains in the Prosecutor's Office in Mexico City
El Chapo's son is in one of the offices of the Attorney General's Office in Mexico City.
The security forces maintain a strong operation in the FEMDO, located in Paseo de la Reforma.
Members of the National Guard have closed the streets surrounding the offices where members of organized crime groups regularly give statements to the Public Ministry.
Photo: Hector Guerrero
05 Jan 2023 - 20:10 UTC
copy link
The two black Thursdays of Ovidio Guzmán
Three years and three months after the Culiacanazo, the Mexican Army finally arrested Ovidio Guzmán, son of El Chapo, in Sinaloa, in the north of the country, on Thursday.
Before noon, a military plane has transferred the drug trafficker to the capital and has gone to the number one Military Camp in Mexico City.
The capture took place at dawn and has generated a brutal reaction from Guzmán's criminal group, known as Los Chapitos, one of the factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Pablo Ferri tells it
from Mexico City
.
Read the full note
here
.
Photo:
AFP
05 Jan 2023 - 19:56 UTC
copy link
Loose ends, certainties and new data from the press conference on the arrest of Ovidio Guzmán
The Security Cabinet of Andrés Manuel López Obrador has broken the silence about the operation against Ovidio Guzmán.
Luis Cresencio Sandoval, Secretary of National Defense, has been in charge of revealing the details about the arrest, which took more than six months of intelligence work.
The Armed Forces have scored the goal of the arrest to the National Guard, the main bet of this Administration for public security tasks.
The capture of the son of
El Chapo
Guzmán is the greatest result in the history of that corporation, for which the president fought to be under military command.
The operation took place early this Thursday.
Elements of the National Guard intercepted the vehicle in which the capo was traveling in Jesús María, a community in Culiacán, the capital of the State of Sinaloa.
The agents were attacked, but managed to identify and arrest Guzmán, identified as the leader of a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The authorities have not disclosed what crimes Guzmán is accused of, nor have they said whether he will be extradited to the United States, where El Chapo was sentenced to life in prison for drug trafficking.
The arrest occurred a few days after President Joe Biden's visit to Mexico for the North American Leaders Summit.
The authorities report is that the drug trafficker responded with 19 blockades in the state.
There was talk of attacks on military installations, airports and critical infrastructure for the State in cities such as Culiacán, Los Mochis and Guasave.
The port of Mazatlán is also on alert.
No information was provided on detainees, injuries or deaths.
What is known, through the State Secretariat for Public Security, is that there are at least seven police officers injured, although it is a preliminary number.
Most likely, the balance will increase as more official data becomes available.
"Zero impunity," the authorities said.
A direct response to the echoes of the
Culiacanazo
, the black day of Guzmán's failed arrest in 2019.
Photo:
Efe
05 Jan 2023 - 19:46 UTC
Copiar enlace
Varias compañías de autobuses suspenden su actividad en Sinaloa
Las compañías de autobuses ETN, TAP y Primera Plus han cancelado por el momento sus servicios en varias ciudades del Estado de Sinaloa por la violencia, las balaceras y los coches incendiados en medio de la carretera que ponen en peligro a los pasajeros. Primera Plus ha suspendido sus servicios desde y hacia Mazatlán. ETN ha cancelado sus viajes con Mazatlán y Culiacán hasta nuevo aviso. Transportes y Autobuses del Pacífico (TAP) ha cancelado las comunicaciones con Culiacán y otros puntos del Estado de Sinaloa, según un comunicado emitido por la compañía. Esto se une al cierre total del aeropuerto de la ciudad, en la que también se han suspendido las clases y la actividad laboral.
05 Jan 2023 - 19:20 UTC
Copiar enlace
Las claves del informe de las autoridades:
- La Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional afirma que la Guardia Nacional estuvo a cargo del operativo de captura de Ovidio Guzmán.
- Las autoridades no dan un saldo de lesionados ni muertos durante la ola de violencia en Sinaloa.
- El Ejército da cuenta de 19 narcobloqueos en la entidad.
- Los trabajos de inteligencia tomaron seis meses y se dieron en coordinación con la Fiscalía General de la República y diversas corporaciones de Seguridad.
- El hijo de El Chapo Guzmán es presentado como líder de Los Chapitos o Los Menores, una facción del Cartel del Pacífico, una ramificación del Cartel de Sinaloa.
The drug trafficker is already in
Mexico City
.
He was taken to the Specialized Prosecutor for Organized Crime.
It has not been disclosed what crimes he is accused of or if he will be extradited to the United States.
There is no information about other detainees.
05 Jan 2023 - 19:15 UTC
copy link
The conference concludes without space for questions from the press
05 Jan 2023 - 19:11 UTC
copy link
123
See full direct
subscribe here
to the EL PAÍS México
newsletter
and receive all the key information on current affairs in this country.