Residents of the Mexican city where cartel leader Ovidio Guzmán, the son of notorious drug lord El Chapo, was arrested last week say more than 100 people have disappeared from the city since the arrest.
Residents of the city of Jesús María in the Mexican state of Sinaloa protested outside a government palace on Monday claiming that 140 people have disappeared since Guzmán was captured in a violent and deadly confrontation between Mexican government forces and the drug cartel. from Sinaloa. Mexico News Daily reported.
In the state capital of Culiacán, 200 protesters in trucks waved banners and chanted slogans accusing the Mexican army of human rights violations and demanding answers about the military presence in their town in the last few days since Guzmán’s capture on January 5. .
The clash between cartel members and Mexican soldiers left at least 10 military personnel and 19 suspected Sinaloa cartel members dead last week in a street fight that involved army convoys with mounted .50 caliber machine guns, Blackhawk helicopters and cartel members attempting to they kidnap local nurses to attend to their wounded.
SINALOA, MEXICO, ENROLLED BY VIOLENCE, CHAOS AFTER THE ARREST OF EL CHAPO’S SON, BEFORE BIDEN’S VISIT TO THE COUNTRY
A truck catches fire on a street in Culiacán, Sinaloa state, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. Mexican security forces captured Ovidio Guzmán, an alleged drug trafficker wanted by the United States and one of the sons of the former head of the Sinaloa cartel. Joaquin “El Chapo”. Guzmán, in a pre-dawn operation Thursday that sparked gunfire and roadblocks in the western state’s capital.
(AP Photo/Martin Urista)
Government officials say no civilians were killed in the melee, but locals say dozens of people are missing, mostly young men and women between the ages of 12 and 35.
“The government must tell the truth about what the town of Jesús María experienced,” read a sign from a protester in Culiacán, while another read: “The children are afraid of seeing soldiers, we don’t want soldiers in the town.”
MEXICAN AUTHORITIES SAY 10 MILITARY, 19 CARtel MEMBERS KILLED IN RAID TO ARREST EL CHAPO’S SON
El Chapo’s son was arrested during a raid on Thursday morning
(AP images)
Cristóbal Castañeda, Sinaloa’s secretary of public security, confirmed reports of missing persons but did not know the exact number.
“We really don’t have a missing person number,” Castañeda said. “They are waiting for the complaints to be established, we need to know who to look for… we know that the Semefo [Forensic Medical Service] He has been delivering the bodies of those identified.”
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Police arrive at the scene after the looting of a store in Culiacán, Sinaloa state, Thursday, January 5, 2023. Mexican security forces captured Ovidio Guzmán, an alleged drug trafficker wanted by the United States and one of the sons of the former Sinaloa cartel. kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, in a pre-dawn operation Thursday that sparked shootouts and roadblocks in the capital of the western state.
(AP Photo/Martin Urista)
Residents of Jesús María also expressed anger that the military cut off the city’s electricity, water supply and telecommunications systems before and during the attack. In addition, residents have said they are unhappy that the military continued to occupy their town days after the raid ended.
