The state of Sinaloa, Mexico, is being hit by a wave of violence, authorities say, following the arrest of the son of jailed drug cartel kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in the days before President Biden’s visit to the country.
Sinaloa state governor Rubén Rocha told Reuters that seven members of Mexico’s security forces have so far been killed and 21 wounded in a dozen clashes in the northern state of Sinaloa, home to the cartel of the same name. which was once run by El Chapo. Ovidio Guzmán, his son, was detained there on Thursday by Mexican authorities, authorities confirmed.
Rocha also said that there have been 25 acts of looting and 250 vehicles have been set on fire to block roads, and most of the disturbances occurred in the city of Culiacán.
“We continue to work to control the situation,” Cristóbal Castañeda, the region’s public security chief, said Thursday as authorities closed schools and urged residents to stay at home.
CHAPO’S SON HAS BEEN CAPTURED IN SINALOA IN A MEXICAN MILITARY OPERATION
Men on motorcycles drive past a burning truck in the streets of Culiacán, Sinaloa state, Thursday, January 5.
(AP/Martin Urista)
Mexican authorities previously detained Ovidio Guzmán in 2019, but quickly released him to avoid a massive confrontation with cartel forces.
The Culiacán airport has also been affected by the violence, with the airline Aeroméxico reporting that one of its planes was hit by bullets before a scheduled flight to Mexico City, according to Reuters.
BIDEN ANNOUNCES US-MEXICO BORDER VISIT, NEW MEASURES AS PRESSURE ON MIGRANT SURGE GROWS
This still image from video provided by the Mexican government shows Ovidio Guzmán López at the time of his earlier detention, in Culiacán, Mexico, on October 17, 2019.
(CEPROPIE via AP Archive)
A passenger on that plane, who boarded with his wife and three children, told the news agency that his family decided to stay at the airport until the situation calmed down.
“The city is worse,” said David Téllez. “There is a lot of gunfire and confusion.”
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Police arrive on the scene after a store was looted in Culiacán on Thursday, January 5.
(AP/Martin Urista)
Mexico’s federal aviation agency said a Mexican Air Force plane was also shot, Reuters reports.
Biden is scheduled to visit the US-Mexico border over the weekend before heading to Mexico City to meet with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
