The son of notorious Mexican drug cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was captured Thursday after a six-month interagency investigation, Mexican authorities confirmed.
During an evening press conference, Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said that Guzmán’s son – whom he only identified as “Ovidio” – was arrested early Thursday morning northwest of Culiacán, in the state of Sinaloa.
FILE – This Oct. 17, 2019 video capture provided by the Mexican government shows Ovidio Guzmán López being detained in Culiacán, Mexico. Mexican security forces were forced to release the son of Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán that day after his gunmen opened fire on the western city of Culiacán.
(CEPROPIE via AP Archive)
Sandoval said Guzmán was the leader of a Sinaloan faction he called “los menores” or “los juniors,” who are also known as “Los Chapitos,” after El Chapo’s sons.
Guzman’s arrest was the result of six months of interagency investigative and surveillance work, Sandoval said.
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National Guard troops spotted trucks, some with homemade armor, and immediately coordinated with the military as they established a perimeter around the suspected vehicles and forced the occupants out to be searched.
Security forces then came under fire, but were able to control the situation and identify Guzmán among those present and in possession of firearms, Sandoval said.
Ovidio Guzmán-López, son of drug lord El Chapo.
(US Department of State)
Cartel members set up 19 roadblocks, including at the Culiacán airport and outside the local military base, as well as all access points into the city of Culiacán, Sandoval said, but the Air Force was able to get Guzmán to Mexico City despite his efforts, and was taken to the offices of the Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime of the Attorney General’s Office.
Ovidio Guzmán, nicknamed “El Raton,” had not been one of El Chapo’s best-known sons until a botched operation to capture him three years ago. That attempt similarly triggered violence in Culiacán that eventually led President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to order the army to let him go.
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US Homeland Security Investigations had posted a $5 million reward for information leading to Guzman’s arrest and/or conviction last year.
Suspected cartel members responded to Thursday’s operation by stealing cars from Culiacán residents and torching vehicles in the cartel’s stronghold. Local and state authorities warned everyone to stay inside.
Authorities escort Mexican drug trafficker Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, center, from a plane in Ronkonkoma, New York.
(US Law Enforcement via AP)
Intermittent gunfire continued into Culiacan Thursday afternoon as Mexican security forces continued to clash with cartel hitmen and few people ventured out. Airports there and in several other Sinaloa cities remained closed.
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Thursday’s high-profile capture comes just days before Lopez Obrador hosts US President Joe Biden for bilateral talks, followed by the North American Leaders Summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Drug trafficking, along with immigration, is expected to be a major topic of conversation.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
