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The military in Mexico has arrested the son of drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, Ovidio Guzman.
Alleged to be the leader of a major drug trafficking organization suspected of funnelling narcotics to the U.S., Ovidio was arrested following a military operation.
He was reportedly captured early Thursday in Culiacan, in the Sinaloa state before he was transferred to Mexico City.
Speaking to reporters, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said Guzman was a source of “violence in four states and in the northwest of the country.”
There were reports of blockades, shootings and looting were reported across the city following the military operation.
Local media report indicates that one police officer died in the operation and 27 people were injured, most of them police and members of the military.
However, Ruben Rocha Moya, governor of Sinaloa, revealed in an interview with Radio Formula that the situation was under control as of Thursday night.
“This is a significant blow to the Sinaloa cartel and major victory for the rule of law. It will not, however, impede the flow of drugs into the U.S. Hopefully, Mexico will extradite him to the U.S.,” Mike Vigil, the DEA’s former Chief of International Operations, said Thursday.
The arrest of Ovidio Guzman is ahead of USA’s Joe Biden and Canada’s Justin Trudeau’s visit to Mexico for meetings with Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. They are expected to talk about drug trafficking, immigration and other matters.
Ovidio is tagged as the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, a top producer and distributor of fentanyl and other drugs. He was released by the Mexican government after his capture in October 2019 led to widespread violence across Culiacan.
