El Chapo’s son captured in Mexico: What we know

The seize of a son of a person of the world’s most notorious drug kingpins sparked a wave of violence in Mexico’s northwestern Sinaloa point out this 7 days.

Associates of the Sinaloa cartel engaged in gunfights with the Mexican army following it experienced captured Ovidio Guzman, just one of the sons of previous cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, on Thursday.

The violence happened predominantly in the Sinaloa towns of Culiacan, Los Mochis, Mazatlan and Guasave but resulted in some flights currently being cancelled and Canadians left barricaded in their lodges.

Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa condition, is much more than 1,200 kilometres absent from Mexico Metropolis by vehicle.

Listed here is what we know about what led to the fighting:

WHO IS OVIDIO GUZMAN?

Ovidio Guzman Lopez, also regarded by his nickname “the Mouse,” is needed in the United States on a drug-associated indictment.

He and his brother, Joaquin Guzman, have been indicted in April 2018 by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and cannabis.

Mexico Defence Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval has explained Ovidio as the chief of a Sinaloa faction identified as “los menores” or “the juniors,” also recognised as “los Chapitos” in reference to the sons of “El Chapo.”

Ovidio’s father, “El Chapo,” is now serving a everyday living sentence in the U.S. subsequent his 2019 conviction on drug trafficking and conspiracy costs.

Individual attention has been compensated to Ovidio around his alleged involvement in the output of fentanyl.

The U.S. Centers for Illness Regulate and Prevention said in May well 2022 that extra than 107,000 Us citizens are thought to have died from drug overdoses in 2021, with extra than 71,000 the consequence of fentanyl and other artificial opioids.

An try in October 2019 to capture Ovidio on a U.S. extradition ask for ended immediately after a gunfight still left at the very least eight individuals useless.

The U.S. governing administration, in the meantime, has supplied a US$5 million reward for details leading to the “arrest and/or conviction” of Ovidio.

WHAT Took place?

The most current violence began right after Mexican protection forces captured Ovidio in a pre-dawn raid on Thursday.

Cartel customers set up roadblocks, which includes at Culiacan’s airport, outdoors a regional army base and points of entry to Culiacan, in response but Sandoval reported the air drive even now managed to fly Ovidio to Mexico Town.

Having said that, alleged cartel customers also responded to the seize by carjacking Culiacan people and location cars on fire.

Mexico’s Civil Aviation Agency stated airports in Culiacan, Los Mochis and Mazatlan were ordered closed on Thursday and all flights cancelled for safety good reasons. Bullets struck at least a person civilian jet and an air power airplane.

As of Friday, at least 10 military services personnel, a single law enforcement officer and 19 suspected Sinaloa cartel associates experienced been killed, with dozens extra wounded.

Sinaloa Gov. Ruben Rocha also claimed cartel gunman tried to abduct doctors to handle wounded fighters.

‘THREE AMIGOS’ SUMMIT

The seize came times right before Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is established to host U.S. President Joe Biden and Primary Minister Justin Trudeau following 7 days for the North American Leaders’ Summit, occasionally referred to as the “A few Amigos” Summit, in Mexico Town on Jan. 10.

The summit is nevertheless predicted to just take area, with a resource in Trudeau’s business office telling CTV News they are looking at the scenario in Mexico carefully.

On Friday, the federal govt introduced that Overseas Affairs Minister Melanie Joly and Global Trade Minister Mary Ng would accompany Trudeau to the summit.

HOW HAS THIS IMPACTED CANADIANS?

The violence left some Canadian tourists in Mexico barricaded in their hotels on Thursday and Friday.

The federal federal government is advising travellers in Sinaloa to shelter in spot if feasible and keep away from locations with large gatherings.

In its vacation notice for Mexico, the Canadian federal government says the Culiacan and Mazatlan airports reopened on Friday. Flights from Mazatlan to metropolitan areas in Western Canada are scheduled for Saturday.

Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S., in the course of an interview with CTV News’ Main Political Correspondent Vassy Kapelos, urged Canadians in Mexico to get to out to the Canadian Embassy for aid.

Mexico is a well-known tourist location for Canadians, who typically repeated locations these kinds of as Cabo, Cancun, Mazatlan, Playa Del Carman and Puerto Vallarta.

Saskatchewan-dependent vacation agent Lori Smith advised The Canadian Push that though “unsafe and terrifying things” do occur in Mexico, it is one thing that happens all over the place.

“I mail a large amount of people today to Las Vegas or Orlando, Fla., and the crime costs are higher in these spots as well,” Smith claimed, including that no subject the spot, “Have your wits about you.”

With information from Senior Electronic Parliamentary Reporter Rachel Aiello, The Canadian Push and The Associated Press
