Ovidio Guzmán Son Chapo Guzmán Released After Capture

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Mexico does not come out of its astonishment this Friday after the fighting in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, between the army and drug traffickers who led the authorities to release a son of Joaquín el Chapo Guzmán shortly after arresting him.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador explained before the cataract of criticism of his government that the leaders decided to release Ovidio Guzmán López to avoid a massacre.

"It was decided to protect people's lives and I agreed with that," said the president at a press conference on Friday morning. “Because it is not about massacres, that is over. The capture of a criminal cannot be worth more than people's lives. They [the Department of Homeland Security] made that decision and I endorsed it.”

At least eight dead caused the incredible shooting that was unleashed after an authentic army of hitmen, armed with large-caliber machine guns, came to the rescue of Guzmán, 28, after the Mexican authorities captured him.

Images captured by terrified citizens caught up in the exchanges of fire suggest a scene close to that of a city caught up in a warlike conflict like that of Syria, with long bursts of machine guns, armored vehicles, and corpses strewn across the streets.

The delivery of the 28-year-old kingpin has been seen as a humiliation of the Mexican government trying to abide by an extradition order issued by a United States federal judge, according to the Los Angeles Times.

According to Mexican Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval, the newly formed National Guard and other military forces carried out Guzmán's capture without the full authorization of his supervisors. According to his count, among the eight dead were five hitmen. In addition to the deceased, 16 wounded were registered, of which five are members of the National Guard.

Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said that authorities arrived at around 3p.m. local time on Thursday at a house where the cartel leader was, who they managed to capture after an exchange of fire.

The agents managed to take control of the house, in which there were three other individuals, but the capo's escorts quickly surrounded the property and kidnapped several soldiers and agents.

At the same time, other naco commandos surrounded Culiacán and blocked accesses to the city, burning several vehicles, attacking strategic points and releasing other inmates, according to press reports.

According to Durazo, in order to safeguard the safety, well-being and tranquility of society, the officers of the Security Cabinet decided to suspend the operation and release the drug trafficker.

For his part, Guzmán's lawyer José Luis González Meza told Telemundo that they thank the Mexican government for having respected his life and for having released him. After having detained him "for about four or five hours."

"[A] message of thanks to President López Obrador, to the country's security team, Dr. Madrazo, secretary of defense, secretary of Marian, who finally respected Ovidio's life," the lawyer said in the interview. with the chain. “The family is very grateful and sends recognition. They were worried because finally you know how they spent them in the last six years and they were afraid that maybe they would be executed indoors where they had them, in the military zone.”