Mexico City: Ovidio Guzman (32), the son of ‘El Chapo’ Waquin Guzman, who is the head of the Sinaloa Cartel, a notorious drug mafia group in Mexico and accused in several criminal cases including murder, has been arrested.
19 drug gang members and 10 soldiers were killed in an operation in Sinaloa state to arrest him, who led a drug gang in his father’s footsteps.
21 members of the criminal gang were arrested. Ovidio was transferred to a maximum security prison. El Chapo is currently serving a life sentence in a federal prison in Colorado, USA.
Widespread violence
Ovidio’s arrest was followed by widespread violence in the Sinaloa city of Culiacan by his supporters. Many vehicles were set on fire. Two aircraft were damaged in the shelling at the local airport in the region. With this, more than 100 flight services have been cancelled.
Two Mexican Air Force planes had to make an emergency landing after being shot down. 35 soldiers were injured during the violence. With this, thousands of troops were deployed in Sinaloa. No civilian casualties were reported. All schools in the state of Sinaloa were declared closed yesterday.
Ovidio, known as ‘The Mouse’, is believed to control a section of El Chapo’s Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world’s largest drug syndicates. The U.S. State Department says he and his brother, Wakine, run 11 methamphetamine labs that produce between 1,300 and 2,200 kilograms of the drug a month. He is also believed to be involved in several murders.
Ovidio was caught with the help of US officials. The US has announced a $5 million reward for information about him or his siblings.