Ovidio Guzman arrest: At least 29 killed in capture of son of drug lord ‘El Chapo’ in violent scenes | World News
At least 29 people have been killed in Mexico after violent clashes and hours of gunfire stemming from the arrest of one of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s sons.
19 suspected gang members and 10 military personnel were killed in one wave of violence Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said after Mexican security forces arrested Ovidio Guzman.
The ministry also released a photo of the drug cartel boss following his arrest on Thursday.
In detailing the violent events that took place on Thursday, Mr. Sandoval said gang gunmen opened fire on the troops with .50 caliber machine guns.
He added that the army sent Blackhawk helicopters to attack a convoy of 25 vehicles belonging to the gangs.
Mr. Sandoval, 32, who is wanted by the US on drug trafficking charges, was taken by helicopter from the home where he was arrested in the northern state of Sinaloa in the early hours of Thursday morning, Mr. Sandoval added.
The minister said Guzman, 32, had been taken to a maximum-security federal prison and 21 others had been arrested during the operation by Mexican security forces.
Footage on social media showed fierce fighting across the city of Culiacan following the arrest, as residents posted video showing a convoy of gunmen in pickup trucks and SUVs rolling down city boulevards .
US forces did not assist in capturing Guzman
The US has been seeking to extradite Guzman for years.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said there were no immediate plans to extradite Guzman to the United States, where his father is being held in a maximum security prison.
He added that there were no US forces assisting in Guzman’s capture.
Guzman, known as “The Mouse”, has been charged in the US with conspiracy to transport cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana into the US.
In 2021, the State Department announced a reward of $5 million for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
Guzman’s ‘gift’ caught Guzman to America
Mexican authorities launched the famous cartel just days before hosting Joe Biden.
Samuel González, who founded Mexico’s special prosecutor’s office for organized crime in the 1990s, said Guzmán’s arrest was a “gift” ahead of Biden’s visit.
Read more:
Mexico arrests son of drug lord ‘El Chapo’
“The Mexican government is working hard to have a calm visit,” he said.
Authorities’ negligent arrest of Guzman in October 2019 confounded the government and pointed to the challenges of cracking down on the gangs that control large swaths of Mexico.
The effort ended in disgrace when Mr Obrador ordered the army to release him after gunmen opened fire on the city with heavy weapons.