El Chapo's son comes to the rescue of his younger brother and overpowers Mexican troops in gun battle that left eight dead
Mexican authorities were forced to release El Chapo's son Ovidio Guzman Lopez after his elder brother Ivan orchestrated violence that eventually overpowered them. Around 35 troops raided a home in Culiacan, Mexico's Sinaloa state, on Thursday before taking into custody both Ivan Archivaldo Guzman, 39, and his brother Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 28, The New York Times reports. According to the report, Mexican authorities were executing a 2018 extradition request from the US to arrest Ovidio.
But sources told the newspaper that Ivan's henchmen were able to successfully overpower the authorities and gain his release. He then reportedly organized a substantial show of intimidation in a bid to get his brother released, turning Culiacan into an urban warzone for at least eight hours.
Sources told The Times he held several troops hostage and how the troopers' families were also kidnapped by cartel henchmen.
Eventually, authorities had no choice but to release Ovidio. The troops found themselves heavily outgunned during the unanticipated shootout with Sinaloa henchmen, leaving eight dead and over 20 wounded.
The troops were forced to let Ovidio go, authorities admitted Friday, after eight of their own were held hostel by the cartel. Furthermore, authorities had no clear exit strategy after being surrounded by enemies.
"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," President Andrés Manuel López Obrador told a news conference the next day. "You cannot value the life of a delinquent more than the lives of the people."
Speaking to the New York Post on Friday, El Chapo's lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman revealed that a federal judge in Washington, DC had initiated Ovidio's arrest warrant, which led to the raid and the brutal violence that ensued afterward. “It’s unclear what exactly happened,” Lichtman said, but “Ovidio is safe and not in custody."
“As soon as the smoke clears, we’ll endeavor to figure out exactly what happened here," he added.
Culiacan was paralyzed after Thursday's violence. The streets were lined with burning vehicles while residents took cover in their homes as the bullets flew outside.