Mexico nabs son of drug lord ‘El Chapo’ before Biden visit

Mexican protection forces captured Ovidio Guzmán, an alleged drug trafficker desired through the USA and one of the sons of former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, in a pre-sunrise operation Thursday that prompt gunfights and roadblocks throughout the western nation’s capital.

Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval stated Army and National Guard employees had captured a son of “El Chapo.” Sandoval diagnosed him most effective as Ovidio, consistent with authorities policy.

Ovidio Guzmán, nicknamed “the Mouse,” had now no longer been one in all El Chapo’s better-recognised sons till an aborted operation to seize him 3 years ago. That strive further prompt 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 through their North American Leaders’ Summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Drug trafficking, together with immigration, is predicted to be a pinnacle speakme point.

“This is a huge blow to the Sinaloa cartel and essential victory for the guideline of thumb of law. It will now no longer, however, obstruct the waft 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 became worried 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 regarding opioids inclusive of illegally made fentanyl.

López Obrador’s protection technique reversed years of what got here to be called the kingpin approach of taking down cartel leaders, which brought about the fragmentation of big cartels and bloody battles for dominance. López Obrador positioned all his religion withinside the navy, disbanding the corrupt Federal Police and developing the National Guard beneathneath navy command.

The seize became the end result of six months of reconnaissance and surveillance withinside the cartel’s territory, after which short movement on Thursday, Sandoval stated. National Guard troops noticed SUVs, a few with selfmade armor, and without delay coordinated with the navy as they hooked up a fringe across the suspicious motors 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 state of affairs and perceive Guzmán amongst the ones gift and in ownership of firearms, Sandoval stated.

Cartel participants installation 19 roadblocks inclusive of at Culiacan’s airport and out of doors the neighborhood navy base, in addition to all factors of get admission to to the town of Culiacan, Sandoval stated, however the Air Force became capable of fly Guzmán to Mexico City notwithstanding their efforts, and he became taken to places of work of the Attorney General’s prepared crime unique prosecutor.

Sandoval stated Guzmán became a pacesetter of a Sinaloa faction he called “los menores” or “the juniors,” who also are called “los Chapitos,” for the sons of El Chapo.

Other “little Chapos” encompass of his brothers — Iván Archivaldo Guzmán and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán — who’re believed to had been going for walks cartel operations collectively with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

The Chapitos had been taking extra manipulate withinside the cartel due to the fact Zambada became in terrible fitness and remoted withinside the mountains, Vigil stated. “The Chapitos recognise 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 critical that the U.S. requests Ovidio’s extradition fast and that Mexico does it,” Vigil stated.

U.S. Homeland Security Investigations had published a $five million praise for records main to the arrest and/or conviction of Guzmán early closing yr.

Alleged cartel participants spoke back to Thursday’s operation through carjacking Culiacan citizens and putting motors ablaze withinside the cartel stronghold. Local and nation government warned every person to live inside.

Intermittent gunfire endured into the afternoon Thursday in Culiacan as Mexican protection forces endured to conflict with cartel gunmen and few humans ventured out. Airports there and in numerous different Sinaloa towns remained closed.

Airline Aeromexico stated in a announcement that one in all its jets became struck through a bullet Thursday morning because it organized for takeoff. Passenger video published on line confirmed humans cowering at the ground of the aircraft. The employer stated passengers and group had been safe.

Later, Mexico’s Civil Aviation Agency stated in a announcement 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 became aboard that flight together along with his spouse and children, getting ready to go back to Mexico City after travelling his in-laws.

Their aircraft were looking ahead to its danger to take off as big navy planes sporting employees landed in addition to 3 or 4 navy helicopters. Marines and infantrymen deployed alongside the fringe of the runway.

When the industrial flight became eventually getting ready to accelerate, Téllez heard gunshots withinside the distance. Within 15 seconds the sounds had been all of sudden extra intense. “We heard gunshots and threw ourselves to the ground,” he stated.

He did now no longer recognise the aircraft were hit till a flight attendant informed them. The aircraft fast lower back to the terminal and that they had been hustled right into a room. Late Thursday afternoon they had been nonetheless withinside the airport, uncertain of after they might be capable of go back to Mexico City.

Elsewhere in Culiacan, neighborhood reporter Marcos Vizcarra had sought refuge in a lodge after gunmen stole his vehicle.

Then he defined thru Twitter that armed guys had entered the lodge wherein he had sought refuge “and are threatening visitors to offer them their vehicle keys.”

Later, Vizcarra stated that that they’d taken his phone, however he had made it domestic safely.

Such tries to create chaos regularly are available in reaction to arrests of critical cartel figures in Mexico. One of the maximum infamous got here whilst federal protection forces cornered Ovidio Guzmán in October 2019, most effective to allow him break out after gunmen shot up the town 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 noticeably crucial of the toll of his predecessors’ drug war. He embraced the phrase “hugs, now no longer bullets” to explain his technique to Mexico’s persistent violence, which might consciousness on social applications geared toward weakening the draw of prepared crime.

But 4 years into his six-yr term, the demise toll stays high.

In July, Mexico captured Rafael Caro Quintero, as soon as one of the godfathers of drug trafficking and the person allegedly accountable for the homicide of a DEA agent extra than 3 a long time ago, simply days after López Obrador met with Biden on the White House.

At the time, the seize became visible as a sign that Mexico may be inclined to move after high-profile cartel bosses again, some thing López Obrador were detest to do.