On Thursday, 29 people were killed in a major military operation in the Jesus Maria district of Culiacan in the state of Sinaloa.
It happened in connection with the arrest of the son of the famous drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
Ovidio Guzman is said to have become one of the leaders of the cartel after El Chapo was caught.
Ten of the dead were soldiers, while 19 were associated with the cartel.
A gift to the United States
The arrest of the son is supposed to be a kind of gift from Mexico’s government to the United States and President Joe Biden, who will be on a state visit this week.
“Do not go outdoors”, was the message from the local authorities on the day of the action.
HEAVY: House walls show signs of intense shooting during the capture of Ovidio Guzman, the son of El Chapo. Photo: Reuters / NTB
It wasn’t necessarily safe indoors, either.
– I saw a helicopter from my house. They shot at my parents’ house. I think it was the helicopter that set all those cars on fire. Shots from the helicopter went through the roof and the walls here, one of the residents, a woman named Blanca, told Reuters.
Jose Rios tells the news agency that he and his family tried to go out at 2pm on Thursday.
– We were not allowed to leave the house, the whole family. They said no. It was too dangerous. We got out of the house the next day, to find a phone signal, so we could call relatives and tell them that we were unharmed, says Rios.
The curfew lasted at least ten hours.
Shoot at planes
David Tellez was on his way to the airport in Culiacan on Thursday morning, together with his family. They were supposed to fly home to Mexico City after a holiday trip, they tell NBC News.
On the way out, they saw burning vehicles blocking the roads.
18 ROAD BLOCKS: Mexican newspapers report that the cartel set up 18 road blocks around Culiacan, using stolen vehicles. Photo: Reuters / NTB
They struggled past and eventually made it out to the airport, where they were about to sit down in a restaurant when the staff there told them to hide in the toilet instead.
Armed cartel soldiers had entered the airport to try to prevent the authorities from flying Ovidio Guzman to the capital, Mexico City.
When they finally got on the plane, and the plane was heading out onto the runway, they heard gunshots. The sound grew more and more intense, as if the shots were coming closer and closer. Eventually, the passengers on the plane became so frightened that they laid down on the floor.
It was their plane that was shot at, they learned from the flight personnel. No one was injured, but the plane returned to the terminal.
– If they caught him, it was worth it, says David Tellez to NBC.
Street fights
The airport in Culiacan is one of the ten busiest in Mexico, but on Thursday it had to be closed. Schools and other public buildings in Culiacan were also closed while the military operation took place.
The district is normally under the control of the cartel. It’s also usually pretty peaceful, by Mexican standards. Now it was virtually war here.
Trucks and other large vehicles were set up as roadblocks to block traffic out of the city. Several of them were also set on fire.
NO SIEGE: 3,500 soldiers from the National Guard are now deployed in Culiacan, an area normally controlled by the Sinaloa cartel. Photo: Juan Carlos Cruz / AFP / NTB
Despite the cartel sending armed men to the airport, a military plane with Guzman on board still managed to take off. In addition, two large military aircraft landed with soldiers.
Although Ovidio Guzman is now in custody in Mexico City, shootings in Culiacan continued over the weekend, according to Reuters. Videos in social media confirm this.
VIDEO: Burnt out vehicles line the streets of Mexico’s northwestern city Culiacan after furious cartel members went on a rampage following the arrest of Ovidio Guzman, son of jailed drug trafficker Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. pic.twitter.com/UDPcpOVHOH
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 8, 2023
Fearing more shooting
The population still lives in fear, writes the local newspaper El Sol de Sinaloa, although life is returning to normal. 3,500 soldiers are deployed.
The National Guard is prepared for several attacks from the cartel.
– We do not want to give the impression of a siege, only to do what is necessary to ensure normal conditions, says Governor Ruben Rocha Moya according to Prensa Latina.
According to the police, at least 250 vehicles have been stolen, of which 51 were set on fire and used in the 18 roadblocks. One policeman is said to have been killed and 17 injured in incidents following the arrest operation itself.
Joe Biden’s visit to Mexico is his first since becoming president. The visit is in connection with a meeting between the heads of state in North America, where Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are participating.
The US wants Ovidio Guzman extradited.
