(Mexico City) Mexican authorities on Thursday captured Ovidio Guzman, son of jailed U.S. drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval announced.
The notorious drug trafficker’s son was captured in the northwest town of Culiacan, accused of leading the “Los Menores faction, linked to the Pacific Cartel”, Mr Sandoval told reporters.
The alleged drug trafficker was transferred on an Air Force plane to Mexico City where he was taken to the office of a prosecutor specializing in organized crime.
The arrest of Ovidio Guzman, 32, triggered an intense exchange of fire between police forces and armed men in Culiacan, a city of 800,000 inhabitants.
Known as “El Raton”, Ovidio Guzman, is the son of the founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, who is currently serving a life sentence in the United States. US authorities consider him to be an important member of the cartel along with his brother, Joaquin Guzman Lopez.
This police operation comes four days before the arrival in Mexico of US President Joe Biden, whose country is offering five million dollars for the capture of the four sons of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.