Arrest of drug cartel chief Ovidio Guzman, son of jailed kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, unleashes violent backlash by gang gunmen that shuts airport in Culiacan metropolis as authorities inform residents to remain indoors.
(AP Archive)
Mexican safety forces have captured the son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, scoring a high-profile win within the battle towards highly effective cartels days earlier than US President Joe Biden visits.
Ovidio Guzman, nicknamed “El Raton” [The Mouse], was caught within the northwestern metropolis of Culiacan and flown to Mexico City on a navy airplane on Thursday, Defence Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval instructed reporters.
He stated the arrest was the results of six months of intelligence work monitoring down the 32-year-old, who has allegedly helped to run his father’s operations since “El Chapo” was extradited to the United States in 2017.
The United States had supplied a reward of as much as $5 million for info resulting in Ovidio Guzman’s seize, accusing him of being a key participant within the notorious Sinaloa cartel.
Violence in Culiacan
Gunfire and arson shook Culiacan after the arrest, which comes as Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador prepares to welcome Biden subsequent week for a North America leaders’ summit at which safety is anticipated to be excessive on the agenda.
As Guzman’s henchmen reacted with fury, a passenger jet was hit by a bullet in its fuselage because it was making ready to take off from Culiacan airport, however there have been no accidents, the airline Aeromexico stated.
“El Chapo” is serving a life jail sentence within the United States for trafficking a whole bunch of tonnes of medication into the US over the course of 25 years.
However, his cartel stays probably the most highly effective in Mexico, accused by Washington of exploiting an opioid epidemic by flooding communities with fentanyl, an artificial drug about 50 instances stronger than heroin.
Ovidio Guzman and considered one of his brothers are accused of overseeing practically a dozen methamphetamine labs in Sinaloa in addition to conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana, in line with the US State Department.
He additionally allegedly ordered the murders of informants, a drug trafficker and a Mexican singer who refused to carry out at his marriage ceremony, it stated.
‘Hugs not bullets’ technique
The Sinaloa state authorities urged individuals to remain at residence on Thursday following the newest arrest.
Ovidio Guzman was captured briefly as soon as earlier than in 2019, however safety forces freed him after his cartel waged an all-out warfare in response.
Several individuals have been killed on that event in Culiacan as gunmen launched a large machine-gun assault, leaving the streets strewn with blazing automobiles.
His launch prompted sharp criticism of Lopez Obrador, who stated the choice was made to guard civilians’ lives within the metropolis of round 800,000 individuals.
Lopez Obrador has struggled to curb the brutal violence plaguing Mexico since taking workplace in 2018.
He championed a “hugs not bullets” technique to deal with violent crime at its roots by combating poverty and inequality with social applications quite than with the military.
The left-wing populist has requested the United States to spend money on regional financial improvement as an alternative of sending helicopter gunships and different weapons to tackle drug traffickers.
Over 340,000 murdered since cartel battle
Mexico has registered greater than 340,000 murders because the authorities controversially deployed the military to battle drug cartels in 2006, most of them blamed on felony gangs.
On Sunday, cartel gunmen attacked a jail within the border metropolis of Ciudad Juarez, leaving practically 20 individuals useless and permitting 25 inmates to flee.
The subsequent day, seven individuals have been killed throughout a police operation to recapture the prisoners.
The escapees included Ernesto Alfredo Pinon, often called “El Neto,” the chief of a gang allied with the Juarez drug cartel.
Pinon, who had been sentenced to greater than 200 years in jail in 2010 for kidnapping and homicide, was killed on Thursday in a shootout with safety forces, authorities stated.
Source: AFP
