Cartels sometimes unleash violence on cities in retaliation for the arrest of prominent cartel figures.
Mexican authorities have arrested Ovidio Guzman, the son of jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, multiple news agencies reported.
Cars were set on fire and residents were kidnapped by suspected cartel members in the city of Culiacan in Sinaloa province on Wednesday night and Thursday. Authorities have not said what prompted the violence, but such actions sometimes occur after the arrest of a cartel member.
“We ask the citizens of Culiacan not to leave their homes due to the blockades that have occurred in different parts of the city,” Culiacan Mayor Juan de Dios Gamez wrote on Twitter.
Ovidio became a prominent figure in the Sinaloa cartel following his father’s arrest and was himself arrested and temporarily detained by Mexican security forces in October 2019.
In retaliation, gunmen then began firing high-powered weapons throughout the city, and Ovidio Guzmán was released in an embarrassing setback for the administration of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
At a press conference on Thursday, López Obrador acknowledged that there were ongoing operations in Culiacan, but did not provide further details.
Unconfirmed footage on social media allegedly showed gunfire overnight in Culiacan, including from a helicopter, and the airport announced it would suspend operations until Thursday evening. Work has also been suspended for all municipal employees.
“Don’t leave your home!” the city posted on social media. “The safety of the citizens of Culiacan is paramount.”
Another suspected drug lord, named Ernesto Alfredo Piñon de la Cruz and known as “El Neto,” was killed by authorities in the border city of Ciudad Juarez on Thursday morning, four days after escaping from prison in a brutal mass breakout.
At least 19 people, including prison staff and other inmates, were killed when armored vehicles attacked the prison where Neto was being held, in the deadliest attack of its kind in years.
The Mexican government is struggling to deal with high levels of violence and the significant power of drug cartels across the country.
While the president ran a campaign that was critical of the drug war and emphasized the use of social programs to weaken the financial appeal of organized crime, López Obrador has been criticized for adopting a military-leaning approach. Human rights groups have become more critical and violence remains high.
In September, for example, the Mexican government decided to take the National Guard out of civilian control and place it under the command of the armed forces.
Mexico’s military has been criticized for many abuses, and human rights groups have warned that removing civilian control of the National Guard could lead to similar abuses.
López Obrador brushed aside those concerns, saying the measure was necessary for public safety.
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