The arrest this Thursday of Ovidio “El Ratón” Guzmán, son of “El Chapo”, one of the most notorious and bloodthirsty drug traffickers, sparked a wave of violence in Sinaloa, where one soldier died and 27 others were injured during the operation of his capture.
El Universal newspaper reported on Friday morning that a colonel died in an ambush after his arrest and four more deaths were reported. They were ambushed by hitmen from the Sinaloa Cartel, linked to “Los Chapitos”.
Colonel shot down a blow to the chest is Juan José Moreno Orzua, commander of the 43rd infantry battalion. The other victims are his four companions. They were all killed in Escuinapa, Sinaloa.
The information on the number of victims was still confused this Friday due to a lack of official and centralized information the data.
the wave of violence
The wave of violence sparked by the operation continued this Friday. The capital of Sinaloa awoke under fire. And the governor asked the population do not leave the house. The US embassy reminds us not to “go” to Sinaloa.
According to local media reports, blockades and shootings took place in the state capital this Friday morning.
The situation recalls that of 2019, when the National Guard detained Ovid and pressure from drug traffickers forced the government to release him to avoid attacks on the civilian population, on a black day that became known as the Culiacanazo. This Thursday classes and all services in the city have been suspended.
Ovidio Guzmán, one of the leaders of the Sinaloa cartel and on which weighed a reward of 5 million dollars, was taken on Thursday morning in Jesús María, in the city of Culiacán.
The arrest has once again unleashed chaos in the state of Sinaloa. The drug trafficker showed all his strength to try to subdue the armed forces and besieged different parts of the state with blockades and shootings.
Such was the case that the sun had not yet risen in Culiacán when David Téllez and his family headed to the city’s airport to catch a flight back to Mexico City after the holidays. But shortly after they set off, they encountered their first obstacle: an abandoned car blocked their way.
Téllez consulted social networks to find out what was happening and saw that the state capital of Sinaloa, it was plagued by roadblocks and shootings.
It would be hours before the country’s defense secretary confirmed that the army had captured Ovidio Guzmán.
“This arrest represents a serious blow to the leadership of the Pacific Cartel (Sinaloa Cartel),” National Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said in a message to the media publicizing the arrest of the alleged drug trafficker.
While Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had criticized his predecessors’ aggressive efforts to arrest drug lords, this time it was his government that arrested a high-profile figure just days after receiving US President Joe Biden.
caravans of armed men
On social networks, the people of Culiacan have posted videos in which they they saw caravans of armed men aboard vans and SUVs circulating through the avenues. At least one included a open truck with a mounted gun in the back, the same type of vehicle that wreaked havoc and destruction in the 2019 riots.
All entrances to the city have been blocked, and similar situations have occurred in other parts of Sinaloa.
The priest Esteban Robles, spokesman for the Catholic diocese of Culiacán, indicated that “(there is) a tense atmosphere of uncertainty” and that those who could have not left their homes.
“Many roads are still blocked by cars that have been burned,” he said.
“Don’t Leave the House”
Local authorities asked in a notice: “Do not leave your house! The safety of the citizens of Culiacán is the most important thing”. Schools, municipal offices and many private businesses have not opened their doors.
Oscar Loza, a human rights activist in the city, described the situation as tense, with some shop looting. In southern Culiacán, where he lives, people reported that convoys of armed men were heading towards a military base, but Loza indicated that the streets near his home were strangely calm. “You don’t hear vehicular traffic,” she said.
In his attempt to bring his family back to the Mexican capital, Téllez dodged several abandoned vehicles blocking the roads and made it to the airport. Once there, they hurried to board the ship first restaurant employees urged them to take refuge in a bathroom. Armed men were arriving to prevent Guzmán from being airlifted.
Juan Carlos Ayala, a professor at the University of Sinaloa who lives in Culiacán and studies the sociology of drug trafficking, noted that Ovidio Guzmán it was an obvious goal since at least 2019.
“To Ovid they convicted him. He was also ranked as the biggest trafficker of fentanyl and was the most visible operator of ‘Los Chapitos’,” he said, citing the name of the faction of the cartel he led with his brothers, Iván Archivaldo and Alfredo.
When asked about the reaction of the local population, Ayala said that “People have mixed opinions, but I think the majority are with them” — with the Sinaloa cartel.
Could be to the money that the criminal organization contributes to the region, but also because residents know that when federal troops are withdrawn, the sign will still be there. And as bad as it is, the group has ensured relative stability, if not peace.
Ovidio Guzmán was accused of drug trafficking from the United States in 2018. According to both governments, he had taken an increasingly prominent role among his siblings in running their father’s businesses alongside the longtime head of the organization, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard confirmed that the country has received a request for his detention for extradition purposes. in September 2019, which now needs to be updated e follow your procedure. At the moment, he added, Ovidio Guzmán “would be waiting for a trial here in Mexico” for an open case.
Ismael Bojórquez, director of the local newspaper Riodoce, which specializes in covering drug trafficking in the region, stressed that the backlash was linked to the president’s less aggressive stance towards organized crime.
“They (the cartels) took advantage of these four years organize, arm themselves, strengthen their own structures, their finances,” he said. this strategy of the federal government”.
Samuel González, founder of Mexico’s special prosecutor’s office against organized crime in the 1990s, said Guzmán’s capture it was a “gift” before Biden’s trip. The Mexican government “is working to have a very peaceful visit,” she added.
Clarin Newsroom with information from AP, El Universal and Xinhua
ap
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.