After the arrest of a son of the notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, violent exchanges of gunfire broke out in various parts of the city of Culiacán in northern Mexico on Thursday.
Gang members and security forces fought serious clashes in the capital of the state of Sinaloa, the authorities said. Numerous vehicles were also set on fire and blockades set up in Culiacan.
The exchange of fire extended to the airport, where air traffic had to be grounded, according to an AFP reporter. Panic broke out in the city of 800,000 in northwestern Mexico, and people fled for shelter.
A member of the security forces, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed to AFP that the clashes began after an operation to arrest Ovidio Guzmán was launched. He is one of the heirs of drug lord “El Chapo”, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the USA.
Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval later confirmed that Ovidio Guzmán, who is said to have run part of the “El Chapo” cartel, had been arrested.
US President Joe Biden is expected to visit Mexico in a few days. The US government had offered a $5 million bounty for the capture of Ovidio Guzmán, also nicknamed “The Mouse”.
According to media reports, Guzmán and a boss of contract killers from the Sinaloa cartel have been arrested. Guzmán was arrested in Culiacan in October 2019 but was later released on the orders of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador after gang members gathered and threatened security forces.
The left-leaning president justified his decision at the time by saying that he wanted to prevent a bloodbath. The government of the state of Sinaloa has now called on the population to stay at home. Lessons and a soccer game were cancelled. (AFP)
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