Sinaloa Cartel gunmen spread terror throughout their state in a violent response to the Mexican Army’s arrest of Ovidio “El Raton” Guzman Lopez, son of jailed kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
New information released during the Friday news conference held by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador revealed that after the arrest, a convoy of 25 armored SUVs clashed with National Guardsmen who were providing support to the Army.
The fighting spread to other locations, including three homes, which ultimately left seven soldiers dead and nine more injured. Government forces used Blackhawk helicopters to provide air support.
After the arrest, military forces moved Ovidio Guzman by air to Mexico City to place him into the custody of the federal Attorney General’s Office. Ovidio is being held at the Altiplano Prison — the same facility where his father escaped via tunnel in 2014.
Ovidio Guzman is the same drug lord who was ordered released by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in 2019 after his allies resorted to similar terror tactics.
Hours after the arrest Thursday, Sinaloa Cartel gunmen shot at a commercial airliner and a military airplane in the Culiacan airport to keep authorities from moving Ovidio.
Cell phone videos shared on social media showed the convoys of gunmen setting up blockades around Culiacan.
Hours after the arrest, Sinaloa Cartel blockades were set statewide. An Army colonel and three of his men moving from the neighboring state of Nayarit to provide support died during an ambush in Escuinapa, Animal Politico reported.
Another video showed a group of young teens with AK-47s claiming to be ready to go to war on behalf of the cartel.
While the number of injured or killed gunmen remains unknown, videos shared on social media captured the moment when gunmen stormed local hospitals looking for medical personnel to help their wounded.
Due to the severity of the blockades and sporadic confrontations, Sinaloa public safety chief Cristobal Castaneda asked the public to stay indoors while the government closed all offices. Locals did not take to the streets until Friday morning when residents of Culiacan slowly began to leave their homes.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.