Abel Barajas/Reform Agency
Saturday, February 11, 2023 | 2:52 p.m.
Mexico City.- A total of 13 alleged members of the so-called Sinaloa Cartel were linked to the process and imprisoned in Michoacán, after being captured along with Ovidio Guzmán López, “El Ratón”, on January 5 in Culiacán, Sinaloa.
All of them are part of the alleged hitmen who confronted the Mexican Army that morning to try to free the son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in the town of Jesús María, in the state capital.
Octavio Alarcón Terrón, control judge of the Federal Criminal Justice Center of Morelia, Michoacán, prosecuted the detainees in two criminal cases and imposed preventive detention on them ex officio, details a report from the Federal Judiciary (PJF).
All the alleged hitmen will remain hospitalized at the Federal Center for Social Readaptation Number 17, in Buenavista, Tomatlán, Michoacán, while the process is carried out.
In the first legal case, the judge prosecuted subjects identified as Rafael Guadalupe “E”, Jaciel Iván “L”, Edgar Eduardo “R”, Rafael Arturo “O”, Juan Antonio “R”, Rodolfo Guadalupe “D” and Jesus Esteban “V”.
The seven were prosecuted for the crimes of carrying firearms, possession of cartridges and possession of chargers, all for the exclusive use of the Army.
In another hearing, the judge initiated the process of Miguel Alejandro “D”, José Angel “S”, Rafael “R”, Jaime “S”, Abraham “M” and Carlos Jeovanny “C”, for the same previous crimes and also for crimes against health, in the modality of possession of marijuana for commercial purposes in its sale variant.
The Federal Government reported that during the operation to capture Ovidio Guzmán, there were a total of 29 deaths -10 of them soldiers-, more than 35 wounded and 21 detainees.
Separately, a federal source said that the FGR only found sufficient evidence to charge 17 – the rest were oblivious to the facts – but four of the accused were released.
Although “El Ratón” was seized with weapons on the day of his capture, for the moment the Attorney General’s Office has not filed criminal charges for these crimes before the federal courts, as it already did against his alleged hitmen.
Since January 5, when he was captured, the son of “El Chapo” has been imprisoned in the Altiplano Prison, subject to a provisional detention of 60 days in the extradition process to the United States.
The justice of the neighboring country intends to bring him to trial before the Columbia Court, in Washington for the crime of criminal association to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.
