Mexico nabs son of drug lord 'El Chapo' before Biden visit News Hungar

Mexican safety forces captured Ovidio Guzmán, an alleged drug trafficker desired with the aid of using 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 recognized him best as Ovidio, in step with authorities policy.

Ovidio Guzmán, nicknamed “the Mouse,” had now no longer been one in every of El Chapo’s better-regarded sons till an aborted operation to seize him 3 years ago. That try in addition prompt violence in Culiacan that in the end led President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to reserve the navy to permit him go.

Thursday’s high-profile seize comes simply days earlier than López Obrador will host US President Joe Biden for bilateral talks observed with the aid of using 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 great blow to the Sinaloa cartel and essential 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 became worried in all the cartel’s activities, specially 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 greater than 107,000 Americans had died from a drug overdose for the duration of the yr finishing January 2022, maximum of them related to opioids which includes illegally made fentanyl.

López Obrador’s safety technique reversed years of what got here to be referred to as the kingpin method of taking down cartel leaders, which caused the fragmentation of huge cartels and bloody battles for dominance. López Obrador placed all his religion withinside the navy, disbanding the corrupt Federal Police and growing 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 motion on Thursday, Sandoval stated. National Guard troops noticed SUVs, a few with home made armor, and right now coordinated with the military as they installed a fringe across the suspicious motors and pressured the occupants out to be searched.

The safety forces then got here beneathneath fire, however had been capable of benefit manage of the scenario and pick out Guzmán amongst the ones gift and in ownership of firearms, Sandoval stated.

Cartel contributors installation 19 roadblocks which includes at Culiacan’s airport and out of doors the neighborhood military base, in addition to all factors of get admission to to the metropolis of Culiacan, Sandoval stated, however the Air Force became capable of fly Guzmán to Mexico City no matter their efforts, and he became taken to workplaces 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 referred to as “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 were jogging cartel operations collectively with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

The Chapitos were taking more manage withinside the cartel due to the fact Zambada became in negative fitness and remoted withinside the mountains, Vigil stated. “The Chapitos understand that if el Mayo dies, (the cartel) goes to interrupt aside in the event that they do not have manage.”

“It’s going to be very critical 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 replied to Thursday’s operation with the aid of using carjacking Culiacan citizens and putting motors ablaze withinside the cartel stronghold. Local and nation government warned anybody to live inside.

Intermittent gunfire persevered into the afternoon Thursday in Culiacan as Mexican safety forces persevered 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 every of its jets became struck with the aid of using a bullet Thursday morning because it organized for takeoff. Passenger video published on line confirmed humans cowering at the ground of the aircraft. The organization 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 corporation stated airports in Los Mochis and Mazatlan had been additionally ordered closed and all flights cancelled for safety 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 anticipating its danger to take off as huge 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 became in the end getting ready to accelerate, Téllez heard gunshots withinside the distance. Within 15 seconds the sounds had been unexpectedly greater intense. “We heard gunshots and threw ourselves to the ground,” he stated.

He did now no longer understand the aircraft were hit till a flight attendant informed 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 after they might be capable of go back to Mexico City.

Elsewhere in Culiacan, neighborhood reporter Marcos Vizcarra had sought safe haven in a resort after gunmen stole his automobile.

Then he defined thru Twitter that armed guys had entered the resort in which he had sought safe haven “and are threatening visitors to provide them their automobile keys.”

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

Such tries to create chaos frequently are available in reaction to arrests of critical cartel figures in Mexico. One of the maximum infamous got here while federal safety forces cornered Ovidio Guzmán in October 2019, best to permit 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 extraordinarily 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 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 answerable for the homicide of a DEA agent greater than 3 many years 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 will be inclined to head after high-profile cartel bosses again, some thing López Obrador were detest to do.