Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/MEXICO: Mexico armed forces on Thursday captured a son of the jailed drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, in a high-profile win in the fight against powerful cartels days before US President Joe Biden’s visit to the neighbouring country.
Mexican Defence Minister Cresencio Sandoval said that Ovidio Guzman, nicknamed “El Raton,” was caught in the northwestern city of the Culiacan and flown to Mexico City in a military plane. Luis said that the arrest is the outcome of six months of intelligence sharing, tracking down the 32-year-old, who had allegedly helped run his father’s operations since El Chapo was arrested and extradited to the United States in 2017.
US offered reward
The United States earlier offered a bountty of up to $5 million for information leading to Ovidio Guzman’s capture, accusing him of being the key player in the notorious Sinaloa cartel.
Gunfire and arson rang out in Culiacan after the arrest, which comes as Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador prepared to welcome Biden next week during the North America leaders’ summit in Mexico City where security has been put on high alert.
A national security guardsman was killed was killed and at least 28 people were injured during the operation, Sinaloa State Governor Ruben Rocha said adding that while school classes were suspended or canceled in Culiacan.
As Guzman’s supporters reacted with fury, the passenger jet and an air force plane were hit by gunfire at the Culiacan airport. Videos and images on social media showed passengers and Aeromexico airline workers at the terminal ducking behind counters as gunfire rang out. No injuries were reported.
El Chapo is serving a life sentence in the US for trafficking hundreds of tons of drugs into the US over a course of 25 years. The US State Department said that the cartel remains the most powerful in Mexico, accused by Washington of exploiting the opioid epidemic by flooding community with the fentanyl, a synthetic drug about 50 times more potent than heroin.
Ovidio Guzman and one of his brothers have been accused of overseeing a dozen methamphetamine labs in Sinaloa and conspiring to distribute cocaine or marijuana. He also allegedly ordered murder of informants, drug traffickers, and a Mexican singer who refused to perform at his wedding, it said.
