29 dead in action in Mexico against "El Chapo" son

According to the government, 29 people were killed in the arrest of a son of the notorious drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán in Mexico. Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said Friday that the dead included 10 military personnel and 19 "law breakers".

The most powerful and brutal drug cartels in the world are currently active in Mexico – comparable to Pablo Escobar's time in Colombia in the early 1990s. But cocaine is no longer the only thing being dealt with, the cartels also smuggle large quantities of fentanyl into the USA, which kills around 100,000 people there every year. The cartels from the state of Sinaloa and from Jalisco are considered the market leaders.

Ovidio Guzmán was arrested in northern Mexico on Thursday, after which suspected members of Guzmán's drug cartel fought fierce gun battles with security forces. Gang members and security forces fought serious clashes in the capital of the state of Sinaloa, the authorities said. Numerous vehicles were also set on fire and blockades set up in Culiacan.

The exchange of fire extended to the airport, where air traffic had to be grounded, according to an AFP reporter. Panic broke out in the city of 800,000 in northwestern Mexico, and people fled for shelter.

A member of the security forces, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed to AFP that the clashes began after an operation to arrest Ovidio Guzmán was launched. He is one of the heirs of drug lord "El Chapo", who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the USA. Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval later confirmed that Ovidio Guzmán, who is said to have run part of the “El Chapo” cartel, had been arrested.

Ovidio Guzmán is said to have helped run his father's drug business after "El Chapo's" extradition to the United States in 2017. The US has offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest.

According to Sandoval, the arrest of Ovidio Guzman was preceded by a six-month surveillance operation to track down the 32-year-old. He was finally caught in the city of Culiacan, the capital of the state of Sinaloa. After his arrest, Guzmán Junior was taken to Mexico City in an Air Force plane.

US President Joe Biden is expected to visit Mexico in a few days. The US government had offered a $5 million reward for the capture of Ovidio Guzmán, also nicknamed "The Mouse".

According to media reports, Guzmán and a boss of contract killers from the Sinaloa cartel have been arrested. Guzmán was arrested in Culiacan in October 2019 but was later released on the orders of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador after gang members gathered and threatened security forces.

The left-leaning president justified his decision at the time by saying that he wanted to prevent a bloodbath. In general, however, Mexico's government under him also changed the political course in dealing with the drug cartels and, for example, greatly reduced cooperation with the USA.

The government of the state of Sinaloa has now called on the population to stay at home. Lessons and a soccer game were cancelled.