This Thursday, January 5, the Mexican authorities managed to recapture Ovidio Guzmán, son of ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán and one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel after an operation in Culiacán. This time, unlike his capture in 2019, authorities rushed to transport him to Mexico City. The state of Sinaloa is besieged and engulfed in cartel violence.
Authorities have asked people not to go out on the streets in Culiacán, Mexico. And it is that, this Thursday, a police operation managed to recapture Ovidio Guzmán, son of ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, one of the bosses of the Sinaloa Cartel and also one of the men most wanted by the US Justice.
But it was not easy, the operation unleashed a wave of violence in the Jesús María neighborhood: shootings, roadblocks and even fires. During the early hours of the morning, a helicopter from the Mexican authorities shot at one of the houses where Ovidio Guzmán was staying, closing the exits from the city and managing to capture the alleged drug trafficker.
Thus the shots from an armed forces helicopter in the community of Jesús María, Culiacan. Unofficially there is talk of the arrest of an organized crime leader @noticieristas pic.twitter.com/M92kfOuCj7
— Luis Alberto Díaz (@Noticierista) January 5, 2023
“Later we are going to inform you about it. Wait,” said the nation’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, without going into more detail during his daily press conference.
An event that has aroused fear among many. And it is dangerously reminiscent of the “Culiacanazo”, on November 17, 2019, when the authorities arrested Ovidio Guzmán, but released him again -by order of Andrés Manuel López Obrador himself- after 24 hours of escalation of violence by the poster. The illegal group managed to recover it by killing, threatening and sowing terror throughout the region.
Like that day, Sinaloa today has also woken up in chaos and under fire. From private cars on fire, shootings throughout the city to members of the Sinaloa Cartel entering hospitals en masse. Therefore, in addition to asking the population not to leave their homes, classes and other activities were also suspended.
“I reiterate to the public the importance of remaining calm and protecting themselves until the actions are completed,” said Rubén Rocha Moya, governor of the state of Sinaloa, through social networks.
I reiterate to the public the importance of remaining calm and protecting themselves until the actions are completed.
—Ruben Rocha Moya (@rochamoya_) January 5, 2023
Cristóbal Castañeda, Secretary of State Security, also warned about the seriousness of the situation.
“Vehicle debris and blockades are being presented in different parts of the city, we ask the public not to go out, we are acting accordingly, we will inform when we are able,” Castañeda said on Twitter. Videos are also circulating on social networks in which looting of businesses is seen.
But, despite the chaos, it seems that this time the outcome will be different. Some armed civilians, sympathizers of the cartel, even took over the Culiacán airport with one objective: to prevent Ovidio Guzmán from being taken out of the city. But they arrived late, at 9:25 in the morning the narco was on his way to Mexico City with the police.
⚠ Image warning! ⚠ An armed group seized the Culiacán airport to prevent the transfer of Ovidio Guzmán, son of “El Chapo” Guzmán pic.twitter.com/wyOgroiuMy
— The Universal (@El_Universal_Mx) January 5, 2023
However, the Culiacán airport is still busy. The members and sympathizers of the cartel hold people there and take the opportunity to shoot at the military planes that arrive to try to stand up to the cartel.
But it seems that none of that is going to change the most likely fate for Ovid. The same as that of his father, the most feared by all drug traffickers in the American continent: extradition to the United States.
The crimes of alias ‘El Raton’ in the United States
Ovidio Guzmán, also known as ‘El Ratón’, is accused along with his brother Joaquín on charges of criminal association for illicit drug trafficking.
The US authorities point to them for having distributed cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana in the United States – from Mexico and other parts of the world – from 2008 to 2018.
Due to the scale of the crimes, in December 2021 the United States offered five million dollars for information on his whereabouts or leading to him.
He was wanted along with his brothers, Iván, Joaquín and Jesús Alfredo, known as “Los Chapitos” and who also face charges for different crimes. However, Ovidio’s profile is the one that has gained the most weight over time due to his importance within the criminal organization.
Capture prior to the visit of President Joe Biden
Guzman’s second capture comes just days before US President Joe Biden visits Mexico on Sunday for the North American Leaders Summit. And the issue is expected to occupy the bilateral agenda, since Guzmán is one of the most wanted men in the United States.
Following the incidents, the US embassy in Mexico warned its citizens about the danger of being in Sinaloa at this time.
“Alert for US citizens about Sinaloa: there are reports of shootings in various parts of the state including Culiacán, Los Mochis and Guasave. Monitor news. The Consulate reminds you that the Department of State classifies Sinaloa as level 4 ‘Do Not Travel,'” the Embassy warned through social networks.
This new episode in the capture of ‘El Ratón’ gives the López Obrador administration an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of the State against the Sinaloa cartel.
All after in 2019 the security forces found themselves overwhelmed by the weight of the organization in the region, a failure marked by the silence of the Government, which has been reproached against the president on more than one occasion.
With EFE and local media
