Ovidio Guzmán, the son of “El Chapo”, moved through the streets protected by 26 armored trucks in an “artisanal” way

After the surge of violence in Sinaloa after the drug lord’s capture Ovid Guzman (32) The details of the impressive command of the special forces with which the famous son of “El Chapo” moved through the streets of Mexico began to be known.

Nothing less than 26 armored trucks It was they who protected one of the heirs of the Sinaloa cartel and for which the United States has offered up to 5 million dollars for his capture.

These vans, of different models such as Chevrolet Suburban and Ford Lobo, had some particularities. Some have been adapted to be able to operate the machine guns outside the cockpit. Others had some kind of shield on the sliding roof windows to give greater protection when firing.

The impressive range of defense was seen in the area of ​​clashes between security forces and criminal groups on the streets of Culiacán, capital of Sinaloa, which resulted in at least 29 deaths.

Mexico’s Secretary of National Defense, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, spoke of several trucks “with handmade shield”. According to the newspaper The Millenniummost of the windows of the trucks stuck in the street had large caliber rounds contained by the thickness of the armored glass.

At least three of these vehicles also had four-door windows of a design similar to that used in tanks, where visibility is only achieved through a small area of ​​reinforced glass.

The most striking data was seen in a Chevrolet Cheyenne truck. The design of a mouse and the logo of the anti-hero The Punisher they were drawn on a steel structure placed in the open cabin. That frame was tall enough to protect a standing person.

This Friday, during a press conference in the place where Ovidio Guzmán was arrested, the head of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) Luis Cresencio Sandoval González underlined that the strategy and force used by the Army agents managed to break through the powerful armor.

Tanks, even armored vehicles and planes were part of the operation with which the agents repelled the attack of Guzmán’s assassins who were on board the trucks. But without a doubt, the most powerful weapon military forces would have in their possession was a six-barreled articulated machine gun mounted on a Black Hawk military helicopter.

The artifact they would have at their disposal is a M134 machine gun, from the United States, said local journalist José Luis Montenegro. It is a high velocity weapon with the ability to perform between 2,000 and 3,000 detonations per minute.

Ovidio Guzmán was also heavily armed. At the time he was among the attackers, he had in his possession weapons exclusive to the Mexican Armed Forces.

Two months in custody

After his capture, Ovidio Guzmán was transferred to the Federal Center for Social Rehabilitation (Cefereso) number 1 of the Altiplano – also known as Almoloya Prison-, located in the State of Mexico, where the father was also detained, who fled from there in 2015.

Following Friday’s hearing, federal judge Gregorio Salazar ordered pre-trial detention for the alleged drug trafficker within 60 days that the United States present the necessary documents for his extradition.

However, hours earlier, a Mexico City judge granted an injunction to stop his immediate extradition, as well as granting him another injunction to avoid the drug trafficker’s isolation, which allows him to contact his family and the lawyers of the defence.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard confirmed that the United States has been seeking the extradition of El Chapo’s son since 2019, but estimated it would take 4 to 6 weeks to submit. the evidence to make this claim is effective.

It has also emerged in local media that Ovidio Guzmán’s defense has claimed that the boss is suffering depression and anxietyas well as recovering from surgery, although the reason for the surgery was not specified.

Faced with this situation, the drug lord’s lawyers demanded that he be provided with the drugs to treat his various ailments. However, the judge said that the necessary studies will be done to determine whether the drugs requested by the defense will be granted.

Sinaloa seeks calm

Guzmán’s arrest early Thursday led to a day of violence in Sinaloa, particularly in Culiacán -the state capital-, Los Mochis and Mazatlán, which left at least 29 dead, a dozen soldiers and 19 members of the organized crime. .

The blockades of the roads with vehicles on fire, the armed attacks, the closure of the airports and the suspension of commercial and school activities recalled the “culiacanazo”, the acts of violence that took place in Sinaloa in 2019 after the first arrest of the drug trafficker, which was released by order of President López Obrador to avoid civilian deaths.

However, this Friday, the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha, stressed in a press conference that the conditions already existed to return to normal in Sinaloa.

He said López Obrador has approved his support and that 3,500 soldiers will be deployed, who will remain in the state until the security situation improves.

“We will have that presence here, we don’t even want to install a state of siege. We just want to make sure we return to normal conditions,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the airports of Culiacán, Mazatlán, Ciudad Obregón and Los Mochis have resumed their operations after suspending them Thursday morning due to the violence that erupted.