Mexican protection forces captured Ovidio Guzmán, an alleged drug trafficker desired via way of means of the USA and one of the sons of former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, in a pre-sunrise operation Thursday that spark off gunfights and roadblocks throughout the western country’s capital.
Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval stated Army and National Guard employees had captured a son of “El Chapo.” Sandoval diagnosed him handiest as Ovidio, in line with authorities policy.
Ovidio Guzmán, nicknamed “the Mouse,” had now no longer been one in every of El Chapo’s better-recognized sons till an aborted operation to seize him 3 years ago. That strive further spark off violence in Culiacan that in the long run led President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to reserve the navy to allow him go.
Thursday’s high-profile seize comes simply days earlier than López Obrador will host US President Joe Biden for bilateral talks accompanied via way of means of their North American Leaders’ Summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Drug trafficking, along side immigration, is predicted to be a pinnacle speaking point.
“This is a sizeable blow to the Sinaloa cartel and principal victory for the guideline of thumb of law. It will now no longer, however, obstruct the go with the drift of medication into the U.S. Hopefully, Mexico will extradite him to the U.S.,” Mike Vigil, the DEA’s former Chief of International Operations, stated Thursday.
Vigil stated that Ovidio Guzmán become concerned in all the cartel’s activities, in particular the manufacturing of fentanyl. A 2018 federal indictment in Washington, D.C., accused the more youthful Guzmán of conspiring to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana withinside the United States.
The CDC stated closing July that extra than 107,000 Americans had died from a drug overdose all through the yr finishing January 2022, maximum of them related to opioids together with illegally made fentanyl.
López Obrador’s protection technique reversed years of what got here to be referred to as the kingpin approach of taking down cartel leaders, which caused the fragmentation of big cartels and bloody battles for dominance. López Obrador placed all his religion withinside the navy, disbanding the corrupt Federal Police and developing the National Guard beneathneath navy command.
The seize become the end result of six months of reconnaissance and surveillance withinside the cartel’s territory, after which short motion on Thursday, Sandoval stated. National Guard troops noticed SUVs, a few with home made armor, and right now coordinated with the navy as they set up a fringe across the suspicious cars and pressured the occupants out to be searched.
The protection forces then got here beneathneath fire, however had been capable of benefit manipulate of the scenario and pick out Guzmán amongst the ones gift and in ownership of firearms, Sandoval stated.
Cartel contributors installation 19 roadblocks together with at Culiacan’s airport and out of doors the neighborhood navy base, in addition to all factors of get right of entry to to the metropolis of Culiacan, Sandoval stated, however the Air Force become capable of fly Guzmán to Mexico City no matter their efforts, and he become taken to workplaces of the Attorney General’s prepared crime unique prosecutor.
Sandoval stated Guzmán become a pacesetter of a Sinaloa faction he called “los menores” or “the juniors,” who also are referred to as “los Chapitos,” for the sons of El Chapo.
Other “little Chapos” consist of of his brothers — Iván Archivaldo Guzmán and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán — who’re believed to were strolling cartel operations collectively with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
The Chapitos were taking extra manipulate withinside the cartel due to the fact Zambada become in terrible fitness and remoted withinside the mountains, Vigil stated. “The Chapitos realize that if el Mayo dies, (the cartel) goes to interrupt aside in the event that they do not have manipulate.”
“It’s going to be very essential that the U.S. requests Ovidio’s extradition quick and that Mexico does it,” Vigil stated.
U.S. Homeland Security Investigations had published a $five million praise for facts main to the arrest and/or conviction of Guzmán early closing yr.
Alleged cartel contributors spoke back to Thursday’s operation via way of means of carjacking Culiacan citizens and putting cars ablaze withinside the cartel stronghold. Local and country government warned anyone to live inside.
Intermittent gunfire persisted into the afternoon Thursday in Culiacan as Mexican protection forces persisted to conflict with cartel gunmen and few human beings ventured out. Airports there and in numerous different Sinaloa towns remained closed.
Airline Aeromexico stated in a assertion that one in every of its jets become struck via way of means of a bullet Thursday morning because it organized for takeoff. Passenger video published on-line confirmed human beings cowering at the ground of the aircraft. The agency stated passengers and team had been safe.
Later, Mexico’s Civil Aviation Agency stated in a assertion that an air pressure aircraft in Culiacan had additionally been hit with gunfire. In addition to the Culiacan airport, the employer stated airports in Los Mochis and Mazatlan had been additionally ordered closed and all flights cancelled for protection reasons.
David Téllez become aboard that flight together along with his spouse and children, getting ready to go back to Mexico City after touring his in-laws.
Their aircraft were watching for its hazard to take off as big navy planes wearing employees landed in addition to 3 or 4 navy helicopters. Marines and squaddies deployed alongside the fringe of the runway.
When the industrial flight become eventually getting ready to accelerate, Téllez heard gunshots withinside the distance. Within 15 seconds the sounds had been unexpectedly extra intense. “We heard gunshots and threw ourselves to the ground,” he stated.
He did now no longer realize the aircraft were hit till a flight attendant instructed them. The aircraft quick again to the terminal and that they had been hustled right into a room. Late Thursday afternoon they had been nevertheless withinside the airport, uncertain of once they might be capable of go back to Mexico City.
Elsewhere in Culiacan, neighborhood reporter Marcos Vizcarra had sought refuge in a resort after gunmen stole his automobile.
Then he defined through Twitter that armed guys had entered the resort wherein he had sought refuge “and are threatening visitors to present them their automobile keys.”
Later, Vizcarra mentioned that that they’d taken his phone, however he had made it domestic safely.
Such tries to create chaos frequently are available reaction to arrests of essential cartel figures in Mexico. One of the maximum infamous got here whilst federal protection forces cornered Ovidio Guzmán in October 2019, handiest to allow him break out after gunmen shot up the metropolis with high-powered weapons.
López Obrador stated on the time he had made the selection to keep away from the lack of life.
López Obrador entered workplace particularly vital of the toll of his predecessors’ drug war. He embraced the phrase “hugs, now no longer bullets” to explain his technique to Mexico’s continual violence, which might cognizance on social packages geared toward weakening the draw of prepared crime.
But 4 years into his six-yr term, the loss of life toll stays high.
In July, Mexico captured Rafael Caro Quintero, as soon as one of the godfathers of drug trafficking and the person allegedly chargeable for the homicide of a DEA agent extra than 3 many years ago, simply days after López Obrador met with Biden on the White House.
At the time, the seize become visible as a sign that Mexico will be inclined to head after high-profile cartel bosses again, some thing López Obrador were detest to do.