The son of notorious drug lord Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn was captured by federal forces in northern Mexico on Thursday.
The drug boss was taken into custody after a gunfight in a town north of the city of Culiacn. The air force was able to fly Guzmn to Mexico City despite the attacks.
Officials canceled flights, suspended school and ordered residents to shelter in place as drug traffickers threw up road blockades in multiple cities and injured at least 25 security forces. A commercial airport and an air force base were attacked by drug traffickers in Culiacn. At least one plane was hit by gunfire.
The last time federal forces tried to capture Ovidio Guzmn, they were surrounded and killed in Culiacn.
In October of that year, members of Mexico's newly formed national guard raided a luxurious Culiacn compound and subdued Guzmn.
Hundreds of Sinaloa fighters descended on the city, taking hostages, blocking roads with burning vehicles and laying siege to a housing complex for the families of military personnel as agents tried to take him into custody. There were eight deaths.
The president ordered Guzmn's release to avoid more bloodshed. He said that you couldn't value the life of a delinquent over the lives of the people.
Many Mexicans and U.S. law enforcement personnel were angry about the bungled operation.
Carlos A. Pérez Ricart is a security analyst at the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics.
The figure of Guzmn has been in the consciousness of every Mexican ever since. It's very important that he is captured today, but more than that, it's symbolic.
The recapture of Guzmn came days before a planned visit to Mexico by President Biden.
The Americans have complained about the effectiveness of the Mexican president's "hugs not bullets" crime-fighting strategy and his protection of a former defense minister.
Cienfuegos, who served as defense minister from 2012 to 2018, was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking at Los Angeles International Airport in 2020, but was released after Lpez Obrador threatened to boycott the U.S.
The president accused the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration of faking a case against him.
Lpez Obrador's decision to end the Mérida Initiative angered US law enforcement officials.
Lpez Obrador's administration has delivered on a key U.S. priority by arresting high-profile drug traffickers.
Just days after Lpez Obrador met with Biden at the White House in July of last year, Mexican forces captured a man suspected of being involved in the killing of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent.
Israel said that Lpez Obrador was cleaning house before Biden arrived.
Vicente Fox, a critic of Lpez Obrador, said the capture of Ovidio was a gift for Biden.
The United States may try to extradite Guzmn to Mexico to face drug charges.
One of the 10 children of "El Chapo" is Ovidio Guzmn.
El Chapo was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the U.S. after being extradited from Mexico.
Ovidio Guzmn and several of his brothers have battled for control of the organization against one of its earliest members.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the drug traffickers that have been encroaching on their territory.
The government's success in capturing Guzmn shows how much has changed for the gang.
The context is different now. It has been weakened by internal conflicts.
The governor said that authorities had regained control of the state. Police tried to stop looters from raiding local stores as crews began cleaning the burned-out vehicles.
Marcos Vizcarra was a local journalist who was kidnapped by a drug gang.
In the early hours of Thursday, armed men seized control of his car and ordered him to go to a Culiacn hotel with other people.
He said the armed men were taking more keys and burning more cars.
With Guzmn already in Mexico, Vizcarra was able to leave and return to his hometown.
The Mexico City bureau of The Times contributed to this report.
The story was originally published in the LA Times.
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