Mexican authorities captured Ovidio Guzman, the son of the notorious imprisoned Mexican drug lord, Joaquin Guzman, known as “El Chapo,” in the early hours of Thursday. His arrest sparked violence from drug cartel members who put up roadblocks across Culiacan, Mexico.
Ovidio Guzman and his brother, Joaquín Guzman-Lopezare are said to operate 11 “methamphetamine labs in the state of Sinaloa,” according to the US State Department.
Citizens were warned to stay indoors due to violent clashes between drug cartel members in Culiacan after the arrest. Schools were closed.
Social media videos allegedly show shooting at the airport, which had to be closed down due to violence.
Mexico’s defense secretary, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, announced the news of Ovidio Guzman’s arrest on Thursday, saying that the National Guard and the army had captured the drug trafficker.
The area is home to the Sinaloa Cartel, known for narcotics trafficking. “El Chapo” was the head of the cartel before he was sentenced to life in prison in 2020.
El Chapo’s son Ovidio was not widely known outside Mexico until he was captured by state forces three years ago and let go. His capture in 2019 sparked violence in Culiacan like the city had never seen before, leading Mexico’s president, Andres Lopez Obrador, to issue a directive for the military to let him go.
Guzman’s latest capture came just a few days before US President Joe Biden was scheduled to visit Mexico for talks with President Obrador, followed by the North American Leaders Summit, where they are joined by the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. Immigration and drug trafficking are among the topics of discussion at their meeting.
Mike Vigil, the DEA’s former Chief of International Operations, said that the capture was a big blow to the Sinaloa cartel and a big victory for the Mexican government.
According to Vigil, Ovidio Guzman is a major part of the Sinaloa cartel and is involved in their fentanyl production. In 2018, a federal indictment in the US accused him of conspiring to get methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana into the US.
President Obrador’s strategy for taking down the cartels that have overrun Mexico is to put the military in charge of all cartel-related operations and to eliminate the federal police service’s involvement, mostly composed of corrupt police officers.
Defense Secretary Sandoval said the capture resulted from surveillance in the cartel’s territory for over six months. On Thursday, troops from the National Guard spotted several SUVs with homemade armor and coordinated with the army. They surrounded the vehicles and forced the occupants out.
The occupants opened gunfire, but the security forces took control. They identified Ovidio Guzman as one of the occupants.
News of his capture traveled fast, and in no time, members of the Sinaloa cartel set up close to 20 roadblocks across the city. Two roadblocks were outside Culiacan’s airport and the local army base. Cartel members responded to Guzman’s capture by setting vehicles on fire and carjacking residents, causing local authorities to warn everyone to stay in their homes.
Nineteen suspected gang members and 10 military personnel were killed in the violence surrounding the arrest, according to Defense Minister Sandoval.
Despite protest efforts, the army flew the young cartel leader to Mexico City.