Mexican Defense Secretary Luis Crescencio Sandoval, left, with Security Secretary Rosa Icela Rodriguez and Navy Secretary Jose Rafael Ojeda
The Mexican military has transported Ovidio Guzmán, the son of accused crime boss Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, to Mexico City after his arrest on Thursday morning sparked violence in the Pacific Coast state of Sinaloa.
Guzmán, known as ‘El Ratón’, was arrested in a hamlet on the outskirts of Culiacán, the country’s capital, with a video on social media showing a helicopter opening fire on a house.
He was previously arrested in October 2019, but soldiers were forced to hand him over after gunmen caused chaos in Culiacán. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has repeatedly played down the botched attack, saying he ordered Guzmán’s release to save lives.
Cartel gunmen on Thursday again torched buses, blocked roads and closed airports after Guzmán was arrested. “Due to the incident that happened in Culiacán, I ask residents to remain calm and evacuate their homes,” Sinaloa governor Rubén Rocha Moya wrote on Twitter.
Videos on social media showed gunmen bursting into the city’s airport and passengers on an Aeromexico flight cowering onboard. The airline said a bullet hit the plane, forcing the cancellation of the Mexico City flight.
The arrest comes ahead of US president Joe Biden’s first visit to Mexico as part of a summit of North American leaders on January 9-10, where security will be an issue discussed.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said US officials had requested Guzmán’s arrest starting in 2019. “There is no connection between the police operation and the summit,” he told reporters.
The elder Guzmán is serving a life sentence in a US prison after being indicted in 2019 on drug, weapons and other charges.