9 hours ago
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Several vehicles were set on fire in the city of Culiacán in Sinaloa, Mexico
It took place in the city of Culiacan in the state of Sinaloa. The operation left a trail of violence: 10 soldiers and 19 suspects died.
According to the Mexican government, another 35 people were injured and 21 arrested.
The arrest of “El Ratón,” as López is known, sparked a wave of violence led by drug traffickers who are part of one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels. Organized crime responded to the operation with shootings, roadblocks and vehicle fires.
After that, Ovidio was transferred to the maximum security prison in El Altiplano.
The government said the presence of Defense Department and National Guard agents in the area would be maintained. The state police will also remain in the area “so that there is no harm to the civilian population”.
According to the authorities, the operation acted “responsibly to protect” the agents and civilians.
In this report, BBC News Mundo, the BBC’s Spanishlanguage service, tells what is known about the operation that led to the arrest of drug dealer Ovidio Guzmán López.
Operating at dawn
Credit, Government of Mexico
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Image from the arrest of Ovidio Guzmán in 2019
The operation to capture El Chapo’s son began at dawn on Thursday (01/05) when National Guard agents, assisted by the army, remotely located armed people in vans northwest of the city.
Some of the vehicles had homemade armor, a resource typically used by organized crime groups, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, Mexico’s Minister of National Defense, explained at a news conference.
Realizing this situation, agents surrounded the area to prevent a possible escape and approached the vehicles.
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The Mexican government shared the first picture of Ovidio Guzmán after his arrest on Thursday.
“Once the roadblock was set up, authorities persuaded the occupants of the vehicles to get out for a search. At that point, the criminals responded by shooting at the National Guard,” Sandoval said.
After the exchange of fire, National Guard agents managed to bring the situation under control and identified Ovidio Guzmán as one of the people in the vehicles.
arrest and surrender
Ovidio was arrested at 6:20 a.m. local time, according to Mexico’s national arrest record.
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The arrest was the culmination of a 6month intelligence operation.
According to Luis Cresencio Sandoval, he carried weapons for the exclusive use of the Mexican Army and Air Force.
“Moments after the arrest, members of his criminal group 19 carried out blockades and armed attacks in different parts of the city of Culiacan, among which the International Federal Airport of Culiacan and Military Airfield Number 10 stand out,” the secretary reported.
“Likewise, all access to the city of Culiacan has been blocked,” he added.
Ovidio Guzmán was transferred to Mexico City’s Organized Crime Bureau on a Mexican Air Force plane.
“This arrest is a major blow to the leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel,” Sandoval said.
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The arrest of Ovidio sparked a violent response from organized crime
The operation, the defense minister said, was the result of six months of surveillance work in the sphere of influence of the criminal group led by Guzmán.
This Friday, Sandoval reported that police seized dozens of firearms of various calibers, magazines, cartridges and tactical equipment during the operation. Dozens of vehicles were also confiscated.
wanted by the US
El Chapo’s 32yearold son is identified as the leader of the Los Menores (aka Chapitos) cartel, related to the Sinaloa cartel that his father ran until his arrest.
Ovidio was arrested in 2019 but quickly released in the face of a violent war unleashed by criminal groups in Sinaloa.
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The government shared images of the weapons and drugs seized in the operation with the group of detainees.
The drug dealer was also wanted by the United States, which was offering up to US$5 million (about R$26 million) for any lead or information that would lead to his arrest.
According to the US government, Ovidio Guzmán and his brother Joaquín hold highlevel positions in the Sinaloa cartel and are believed to be responsible for overseeing more than 10 methamphetamine labs in Sinaloa.
“Other sources of information indicate that Ovidio Guzmán López ordered the killings of whistleblowers, a drug dealer and a popular Mexican singer who refused to sing at his wedding,” the US State Department website said.
In 2018, the two brothers were indicted by a US federal grand jury for setting up a system to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.