A truck burns on a street in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Jan. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Martin Urista)
On Jan. 5, Mexican authorities arrested the son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán. Ovidio Guzmán, who has been described as “a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel” by the United States State Department, was arrested. The arrest sparked violence in the street as the cartel started a war with the Mexican military.
Ovidio was previously arrested by federal authorities in October 2019, but was released on the orders of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to avoid violence, CNN reported.
The Mexican state of Sinaloa is home to the Sinaloa Cartel, considered one of the world’s most powerful narcotics trafficking organizations. “El Chapo” was the head of the cartel before he was sentenced to life in prison in 2020.
Now, a war between the Mexican military and cartel members is playing out in the streets of the city of Culiacan, which is located in Sinalo.
Ovidio was to be extradited to the U.S., but on Jan. 6, a Mexico City federal judge halted the extradition due to the fighting, which has led to more than two dozen deaths.
The U.S. is seeking Ovidio’s extradition for drug trafficking and has offered up to $5 million for information leading to the capture of the man they say is “a senior member of the Sinaloa Cartel,” CNN reported.
Al Jazeera reported that cars “were set on fire and residents were carjacked by alleged cartel members in the city of Culiacan in Sinaloa province.”
In retaliation for Ovidio’s arrest, cartel gunmen started shooting high-powered weapons throughout the city. Ten soldiers and 19 cartel members have been filled since the violence began, Al Jazeera reported. The arrest was carried out by military troops.
Cartel members shot at soldiers, trying to free Ovidio. More than 3,500 troops became involved in the operation, The New York Times reported. Some 35 soldiers were also wounded by gunfire. There were 21 suspected cartel members arrested, and the government seized six .50-caliber machine guns, four .50-caliber semi-automatic rifles, 26 other long guns, pistols, and 53 vehicles, including 26 that were armored, as well as quantities of fentanyl and cocaine.
A truck burns on a street in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Jan. 5, 2023. Mexican security forces captured Ovidio Guzmán, an alleged drug trafficker wanted by the United States and one of the sons of former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, in a pre-dawn operation that set off gunfights and roadblocks across the western state’s capital. (AP Photo/Martin Urista)
