El Chapo’s fugitive son Ovidio Guzman is arrested by Mexican authorities

Bevan Hurley
·1 min read
2

The son of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been arrested in Mexico, according to a report.

Sinaloa Cartel capo Ovidio Guzman was detained on Thursday, law enforcement sources told Reuters.

The arrest came during a night of violence that paralysed the Sinaloan city of Culiacan on Thursday, city officials said.

Authorities warned residents to remain inside after cartel members carjacked residents and set vehicles ablaze.

“We ask the citizens of Culiacán not to leave home, due to the blockades that have occurred in different parts of the city,” the city’s mayor Juan de Dios Gamez wrote on Twitter.

The explosion of violence has not been officially linked to Mr Guzman’s arrest.

Ovidio Guzman, El Chapo’s son, pictured during his previous arrest in Sinaloa, Mexico, in 2019 (Washington Post / screen grab)
Ovidio Guzman, El Chapo’s son, pictured during his previous arrest in Sinaloa, Mexico, in 2019 (Washington Post / screen grab)

However, Sinaloa governor Ruben Rocha Moya tweeted that Federal Armed Forces had been carrying out an operation in the Jesús María area of Culiacán since dawn on Thursday.

“This has given rise to some violent events in the capital and other parts of the State,” Mr Rocha Moya posted.

Mexico City news outlet La Jornada was first to report on Guzman’s arrest, citing Mexican security sources.

Ovidio Guzman was previously arrested in Sinaloa in 2019 by Mexico’s security forces, but he was quickly released when his drug gang threatened violent retaliation in an embarrassing moment for authorities.