Ovidio Guzman, son of Mexican drug lord ‘El Chapo’, was finally captured by Mexican police on January 5th. After a long fight, and over 20 casualties, Guzman was seized by helicopter and is in a high-security federal prison in Mexico City. In a search of his bedroom, nearly 50 weapons were found. Amongst these was an anti-aircraft gun.
Ovidio Guzman-Lopez allegedly was the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, arguably the largest and most powerful drug cartel in Mexico.
On January 5th in Culiacan after an intense gunfight between Mexican soldiers and members of the Sinaloa Cartel, Guzman was captured.
The fight began in the morning in Culiacan. The initial violence prompted a wave of reaction from armed Cartel members in Mexico.
At least 29 people were killed during the bloody fight. As well as this, both suspects and police were injured.
Hencmen mounted highway blockades. Lots of vehicles were set alight and at least two planes were hit by gunfire. The aircraft had to make emergency landings. More than 100 flights were subsequently canceled.
All schools in the Sinaloa state were closed and many shops and businesses remained shut for a few days.
Ovidio’s father, Joaquin Guzman (‘El Chapo’) is serving a life sentence in the US after being found guilty of drug trafficking and money laundering. Since then, Ovidio has been involving himself in the business of the Sinaloa Cartel. The US has been after him.
Weapons found in Guzman’s Bedroom
After the arrest, the Mexican police searched Guzman’s house.
Following this, Ovidio’s family is supposedly looking to sue the Mexican authorities. This is what the house looked like after the gunfight:
Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said “inside Ovidio Guzman’s bedroom alone, we found 47 weapons”. He went on to say that some of the weapons were incredibly “high-powered” and that there were some “anti-aircraft guns”. Anti-aircraft guns are pieces of artillery that are fired from the ground against aerial attack. However, the real question is how did Guzman get hold of these weapons? Anti-aircraft guns are not sold in Mexico and so Mexican authorities are trying to find out who provided the artillery.
Damage has been done, lives have been lost and Ovidio Guzman has been captured. There is no denying the power that this family, and the Cartel institution, have.
