MEXICO CITY:
Deadly riots broke out in Mexico’s Sinaloa state following the capture of a son of notorious drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
Ovidio Guzman-Lopez, himself alleged to be a leader of his father’s former Sinaloa Cartel, was captured in Culiacan on January 5 during a special operation and transferred to Mexico City.
After he was capture, clashes broke out and furious gang members set up road blocks and set vehicles fire, paralysing the city and leading Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya to urge residents to stay indoors.
Two planes were hit by gunfire and over 100 flights were cancelled at three Sinaloa airports as a result of the violence.
All schools will be closed across the whole state of Sinaloa on Friday.
Earlier on Thursday, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed during a press conference that there was an ongoing operation in Sinaloa, without providing further details.
This is the second time Ovidio Guzman, alias “El Raton”, has been arrested.
He was quickly released following his first arrest in 2019 after violence broke out in Sinaloa, threatening public safety.
Ovidio Guzman is also wanted by US authorities for alleged drug trafficking.
In December 2022, Washington had announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Ovidio Guzman and three of his brothers, who are thought to have kept their positions of command in the Sinaloa Cartel which is one of the largest drug-trafficking organisations in the world
Culiacan is considered a stronghold of the cartel, which continues its criminal operations despite the incarceration in the US of its original leader El Chapo.
Meanwhile, El Chapo is serving a life sentence in the US after being found guilty in 2019 of drug trafficking and money laundering.
His trial revealed some of the brutal details of how Mexico’s drug cartels operate. IANS