Mexican capo Ovidio Guzman, the son of incarcerated kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, has been arrested by Mexican authorities, four officials familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.
Ovidio was briefly detained in the northern state of Sinaloa in October 2019 by security forces, but then quickly released to avoid violent retribution from his drug gang.
Gunfire and car-jackings were reported in the city of Culiacán after armed forces carried out a raid on Thursday.
The state governor said that 18 people had been admitted to hospital.
A Mexican airline said a plane scheduled to fly from the city was hit by bullets while preparing to take off.
Guzmán-López is accused of leading a faction of his father’s notorious Sinaloa cartel, Defence Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said. It is one of the largest drug-trafficking organisations in the world.
Hi father, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, is serving a life sentence in the US after being found guilty in 2019 of drug trafficking and money laundering. His trial revealed some of the brutal details of how Mexico’s drug cartels operate.
Mexican airline Aeromexico said the fuselage of a plane scheduled to fly from Culiacán to Mexico City was hit by gunfire on Thursday morning as it was preparing for take-off.
It said no customers or employees were harmed. A video posted on social media appears to show passengers crouching and cowering in their seats.
The arrest comes just days before US President Joe Biden is due to visit Mexico for a North American leaders’ summit next week.
Earlier, Mayor Ruben Rocha Moya confirmed on Twitter that federal armed forces had been carrying out an operation in Culiacán since dawn on Thursday.
He said there were blockades in different parts of the city and urged residents to stay at home.
Major airports in Sinaloa were closed and flights are expected to be suspended until security in the state is secured.
The local government body overseeing education announced on social media that “teaching and other administrative activities” had been suspended in Culiacán.
Mexican security forces had previously arrested Guzmán-López in 2019 but released him to avoid the threat of violence from his supporters.
The US State Department claims that he and his brother, Joaquín, are currently overseeing approximately eleven methamphetamine labs in the state of Sinaloa, producing an estimated 1,300- 2,200kg (3000-5000lb) of the drug per month.
They have also said that information indicates Guzmán-López ordered the murders of informants, a drug trafficker and a popular Mexican singer who had refused to sing at his wedding.
In December, the US announced a reward of up to $5m (£4.2m) for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Ovidio and three of his brothers, who are thought to have kept their positions of command in the group.
