One of the sons of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Ovidio Guzman, was apprehended by Mexican security authorities in the early hours of Thursday. The predawn operation sparked gunfights and roadblocks throughout the capital of the western state.
According to Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval, a son of “El Chapo” had been apprehended by army and national guard forces. Sandoval only referred to him as Ovidio, in line with official regulations.
A failed attempt to apprehend Ovidio Guzman three years ago made him one of El Chapo’s lesser-known kids, earning him the moniker “the Mouse.” That effort led to similar unrest in Culiacan, which ultimately led President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to order the military to release the man.
The high-profile capture on Thursday occurred only days before Lopez Obrador will meet Joe Biden, the vice president of the United States, for bilateral discussions before the North American Leaders’ Summit with Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada. Immigration and drug trafficking are anticipated to be the two main topics of conversation.
“This is a tremendous win for the rule of law and a major blow to the Sinaloa cartel.” However, it won’t stop the importation of pharmaceuticals into the United States. “Hopefully Mexico will hand him over to American authorities,” former DEA Chief of International Operations Mike Vigil stated on Thursday.
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Ovidio Guzman, according to Vigil, was involved in every aspect of the cartel’s operations, including the manufacture of fentanyl.
According to a report from the CDC in July, more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in the year ending in January 2022. Most of these deaths were caused by illegally made opioids like fentanyl.
Lopez Obrador’s security strategy undid years of what became known as the “kingpin strategy” of assassinating cartel leaders, which caused the breakup of sizable cartels and brutal power struggles. All of Lopez Obrador’s trust was in the military, which he used to abolish the corrupt federal police and establish the national guard under military control.
According to Sandoval, the capture came about as a consequence of six months of reconnaissance and monitoring in the cartel’s territory and prompt action on Thursday. Upon seeing SUVs, some of which had makeshift armour, national guard personnel promptly coordinated with the army to set up a cordon around the suspicious vehicles and force the people inside to be examined.
Sandoval says that after the security team came under fire, they were able to get back in charge and find Guzman among those who were there and had weapons.
According to Sandoval, cartel members erected 19 obstacles, including ones at the airport, the neighbourhood army base, and all points of entry to the city of Culiacan. Guzman was transported to the office of the attorney general’s special prosecutor for organised crime after the air force managed to airlift him to Mexico City despite the efforts made.
Guzman, who is also known as “los Chapitos” for being one of El Chapo’s kids, according to Sandoval, is the head of a Sinaloa faction he refers to as “los menores” or “the juniors.”
Ivan Archivaldo Guzman and Jesus Alfredo Guzman, two of his brothers, are among the other “little chapos” who are thought to have been managing cartel operations with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Because Zambada was ill and isolated in the mountains, the Chapitos have been gaining more power within the cartel, according to Vigil. The Chapitos understand that if they do not keep control after El Mayo dies, the cartel will disintegrate.
Vigil says that it will be very important for Mexico to act quickly on the US request to extradite Ovidio.
Following the operation on Thursday, alleged cartel members allegedly carjacked locals in Culiacan and burned their vehicles on fire in the cartel stronghold. Authorities at the local and state levels issued a stay-in advisory.
According to Sandoval, cartel members erected 19 obstacles, including ones at the airport, the neighbourhood army base, and all points of entry to the city of Culiacan. Guzman was transported to the office of the attorney general’s special prosecutor for organised crime after the air force managed to airlift him to Mexico City despite the efforts made.
