City descends into chaos
Son of drug lord “El Chapo” arrested
Chaos reigns in the Mexican city of Culiacán after one of the leaders of the “El Chapo” drug cartel was arrested. Air traffic had to be suspended because of the exchange of fire.
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Ovidio Guzmán, son of the notorious drug lord “El Chapo”, was arrested on Thursday.
During a military operation in northwestern Mexico, security forces arrested one of the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. Ovidio Guzmán was caught in the city of Culiacán in the state of Sinaloa, Mexican media reported unanimously on Thursday, citing security circles.
Ovidio Guzmán followed in the footsteps of “El Chapo”. After his father’s arrest, took over part of the Sinaloa cartel with his brothers. He was considered one of the main dealers in the drug fentanyl in the Latin American country.
Guzmán was arrested once before in 2019 but later released by order of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to avoid heavy fighting between criminals and security forces.
Violent clashes between gangs and police
After the access on Thursday, there were violent clashes between suspected gang members and the security forces in Culiacan. Suspects blocked buses and trucks on streets and set the vehicles on fire. Schools and public buildings were closed. Governor Rubén Rocha Moya called on people to stay in their homes.
Fierce exchanges of fire broke out in various parts of the city. The exchange of fire extended to the airport, where air traffic had to be grounded, according to an AFP reporter. Panic broke out in the city of 800,000 in northwestern Mexico, and people fled for protection.
“El Chapo” smuggled tons of drugs
Guzmán’s 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.
US President Joe Biden is expected to visit Mexico in a few days. The US government had offered a $5 million reward for the capture of Ovidio Guzmán, also nicknamed “The Mouse”. (AFP/SDA)