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MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican information forces captured Ovidio Guzmán, an alleged cause trafficker wanted by the United States and 1 of the sons of former Sinaloa cartel brag Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, successful a pre-dawn cognition Thursday that acceptable disconnected gunfights and roadblocks crossed the occidental state’s capital.
Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said Army and National Guard unit had captured a lad of “El Chapo.” Sandoval identified him lone arsenic Ovidio, successful keeping with authorities policy.
Ovidio Guzmán, nicknamed “the Mouse,” had not been 1 of El Chapo’s better-known sons until an aborted cognition to seizure him 3 years ago. That effort likewise acceptable disconnected unit successful Culiacan that yet led President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to bid the subject to fto him go.
Thursday’s high-profile seizure comes conscionable days earlier López Obrador volition big U.S. President Joe Biden for bilateral talks followed by their North American Leaders’ Summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Drug trafficking, on with immigration, is expected to beryllium a apical talking point.
“This is simply a important stroke to the Sinaloa cartel and large triumph for the regularisation of law. It volition not, however, impede the travel of drugs into the U.S. Hopefully, Mexico volition extradite him to the U.S.,” Mike Vigil, the DEA’s erstwhile Chief of International Operations, said Thursday.
Vigil said that Ovidio Guzmán was progressive successful each of the cartel’s activities, particularly the accumulation of fentanyl. A 2018 national indictment successful Washington, D.C., accused the younger Guzmán of conspiring to administer cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana successful the United States.
The CDC said past July that much than 107,000 Americans had died from a cause overdose during the twelvemonth ending January 2022, astir of them involving opioids including illegally made fentanyl.
López Obrador’s information attack reversed years of what came to beryllium known arsenic the kingpin strategy of taking down cartel leaders, which led to the fragmentation of ample cartels and bloody battles for dominance. López Obrador enactment each his religion successful the military, disbanding the corrupt Federal Police and creating the National Guard nether subject command.
The seizure was the effect of six months of reconnaissance and surveillance successful the cartel’s territory, and past speedy enactment connected Thursday, Sandoval said. National Guard troops spotted SUVs, immoderate with homemade armor, and instantly coordinated with the service arsenic they established a perimeter astir the suspicious vehicles and forced the occupants retired to beryllium searched.
The information forces past came nether fire, but were capable to summation power of the concern and place Guzmán among those contiguous and successful possession of firearms, Sandoval said.
Cartel members acceptable up 19 roadblocks including astatine Culiacan’s airdrome and extracurricular the section service base, arsenic good arsenic each points of entree to the metropolis of Culiacan, Sandoval said, but the Air Force was capable to alert Guzmán to Mexico City contempt their efforts, and helium was taken to offices of the Attorney General’s organized transgression peculiar prosecutor.
Sandoval said Guzmán was a person of a Sinaloa faction helium called “los menores” oregon “the juniors,” who are besides known arsenic “los Chapitos,” for the sons of El Chapo.
Other “little Chapos” see 2 of his brothers — Iván Archivaldo Guzmán and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán — who are believed to person been moving cartel operations unneurotic with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
The Chapitos person been taking greater power successful the cartel due to the fact that Zambada was successful mediocre wellness and isolated successful the mountains, Vigil said. “The Chapitos cognize that if el Mayo dies, (the cartel) is going to interruption isolated if they don’t person control.”
“It’s going to beryllium precise important that the U.S. requests Ovidio’s extradition rapidly and that Mexico does it,” Vigil said.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard confirmed that Mexico received a petition successful 2019 from the United States for Guzmán’s apprehension for purposes of extradition. He said that petition would person to beryllium updated and processed, but helium added that Guzmán indispensable archetypal look an unfastened lawsuit successful Mexico.
U.S. Homeland Security Investigations had posted a $5 cardinal reward for accusation starring to the apprehension and/or condemnation of Guzmán aboriginal past year.
Alleged cartel members responded to Thursday’s cognition by carjacking Culiacan residents and mounting vehicles ablaze successful the cartel stronghold. Local and authorities authorities warned everyone to enactment inside.
Intermittent gunfire continued into the day Thursday successful Culiacan arsenic Mexican information forces continued to clash with cartel gunmen and fewer radical ventured out.
Airline Aeromexico said successful a connection that 1 of its jets was struck by a slug Thursday greeting arsenic it prepared for takeoff. Passenger video posted online showed radical cowering connected the level of the plane. The institution said passengers and unit were safe.
Later, Mexico’s Civil Aviation Agency said successful a connection that an aerial unit level successful Culiacan had besides been deed with gunfire. In summation to the Culiacan airport, the bureau said airports successful Los Mochis and Mazatlan were besides ordered closed and each flights cancelled for information reasons.
David Téllez was aboard that formation with his woman and children, preparing to instrumentality to Mexico City aft visiting his in-laws.
Their level had been waiting for its accidental to instrumentality disconnected arsenic 2 ample subject planes carrying unit landed arsenic good arsenic 3 oregon 4 subject helicopters. Marines and soldiers deployed on the perimeter of the runway.
When the commercialized formation was yet preparing to accelerate, Téllez heard gunshots successful the distance. Within 15 seconds the sounds were abruptly much intense. “We heard gunshots and threw ourselves to the floor,” helium said.
He did not cognize the level had been deed until a formation attendant told them. The level rapidly returned to the terminal and they were hustled into a room. Late Thursday day they were inactive successful the airport, unsure of erstwhile they would beryllium capable to instrumentality to Mexico City.
Elsewhere successful Culiacan, section newsman Marcos Vizcarra had sought structure successful a edifice aft gunmen stole his car.
Then helium explained via Twitter that equipped men had entered the edifice wherever helium had sought structure “and are threatening guests to springiness them their car keys.”
Later, Vizcarra reported that they had taken his phone, but helium had made it location safely.
Such attempts to make chaos often travel successful effect to arrests of important cartel figures successful Mexico. One of the astir notorious came erstwhile federal information forces cornered Ovidio Guzmán successful October 2019, lone to fto him escape aft gunmen changeable up the metropolis with high-powered weapons.
López Obrador said astatine the clip helium had made the determination to debar the nonaccomplishment of life.
López Obrador entered bureau highly captious of the toll of his predecessors’ cause war. He embraced the operation “hugs, not bullets” to picture his attack to Mexico’s chronic violence, which would absorption connected societal programs aimed astatine weakening the gully of organized crime.
But 4 years into his six-year term, the decease toll remains high.
In July, Mexico captured Rafael Caro Quintero, erstwhile 1 of the godfathers of cause trafficking and the antheral allegedly liable for the execution of a DEA cause much than 3 decades ago, conscionable days aft López Obrador met with Biden astatine the White House.
At the time, the seizure was seen arsenic a awesome that Mexico could beryllium consenting to spell aft high-profile cartel bosses again, thing López Obrador had been loathe to do.
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Associated Press writer Fabiola Sánchez contributed to this report.
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