After being captured by Mexican forces, the Sinaloa cartel managed to wrest El Chapo’s son free from government control with a stunning show of force complete with machine guns and rocket launchers.
The events unfolded in the city of Culiacán on Thursday after troops captured the son of jailed drug lord Joaquín Guzmán Loera, known as El Chapo. His son, Ovidio Guzmán Lopez, is one of many of the notorious kingpin’s children who live in the area. Another one of El Chapo’s sons called up cartel members to begin a siege on Culiacán, according to the New York Times.
Trucks with large mounted machine guns were spotted, as were videos showing rocket launchers and rocket-powered grenades. Many civilians in the city were able to capture the staccato of gunfire during the prolonged battle, which ended in the deaths of at least seven and injured more than a dozen.
The Mexican forces who arrested the younger Guzmán released him after eight of their members were taken hostage. Part of the effort by the cartel to get Guzmán released reportedly included not only taking armed forces hostage, but also kidnapping their families.
Given that they were surrounded, the violence was continuing to rise, and there were hostages, the government surrendered and let Guzmán go.
“Decisions were made that I support, that I endorse because the situation turned very bad and lots of citizens were at risk, lots of people and it was decided to protect the life of the people,” said President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday. “You cannot value the life of a delinquent more than the lives of the people.”
Raúl Benítez, a security expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said that this another example of extreme violence displayed by the cartels this year. He criticized the president for his decision to pull back and surrender to the cartel.
“The government was forced to accept the cartel’s control over the city and not confront them,” Benítez said. “To the people of Culiacán, the president is sending a very tough message: The cartel is in charge here.”
Videos captured the violence unfolding and were posted on social media.
Pray for the gang ???????? #Culiacan #Sinaloa #ElchapoCity pic.twitter.com/bkYp0qWuaU
— Entrapperneur (@Entrapperneur1) October 19, 2019
The video shows that #ElChapo‘s cartel gunmen in #Culiacán use heavy arms – M249 Para machine gun and M72 LAW anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
90% of these weapons are from the US!pic.twitter.com/gU38apoVzI
— Sonia Tovar (@LatinoInNevada) October 18, 2019
To all those people who love to ask me about growing up in Culiacan. Who binge-watch all those narco shows and romanticize the capos. This is the reality of it. What real people in the real world have to endure. #Culiacan #PrayForCuliacan pic.twitter.com/UIvDktcru9
— Natalia Sandoval (@curiousnats) October 18, 2019
Heavy rounds of fire took place between Mexican security forces and armed men after authorities tried to arrest the son of drug lord Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán. The gun battle took place in broad daylight in Culiacán and sent residents running to take cover. pic.twitter.com/JwsboMiyWl
— AJ+ (@ajplus) October 18, 2019
my brother and i thought maybe the #Culiacan stories were blown out of proportion but this morning our family sent us this from their house in culiacán. pic.twitter.com/JeWcsjZC5v
— el chedraui (@stephanieforevr) October 18, 2019
— Marcos Sanz (@MarcosSanzVFX) October 18, 2019
