Borderland Beat Contributors
As of 8 minutes ago, the reputable news publication Reuters has published an article titled “Mexico Arrests capo Ovidio Guzman, son of El Chapo – sources”.
In the article, they cite four officials familiar with the matter who confirmed to them that Ovidio has been captured, today, January 5, 2023.
The newspaper El Universal has published and confirmed that Ovidio was captured. They cite federal sources for confirmation. Various outlets such as Quadratin are currently reporting on El Universal’s confirmation.
Many have noted that this major arrest occurred shortly before a scheduled visit from US President Joe Biden to Mexico.
The arrest allegedly occurred in Jesus Maria in Sinaloa.
 |
| From a La Jordana video showing Ovidio being transported via helicopter in Mexico City to the Altiplano prison. |
His First Arrest
Ovidio was famously arrested years ago in an event dubbed Culiacanazo, on October 17, 2019. This first arrest also took place in Culiacan.
Hitmen and leadership figures from the Sinaloa Cartel attacked law enforcement and members of the military throughout the city and surrounding areas. They mobilized and retaliated swiftly, attempting to free Ovidio.
Eventually, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador chose to suspend the capture operation and Ovidio was freed. He later stated that “The operation was suspended and it was suspended because we did not want to put the lives of many people at risk.”
Details About the Operation Which Arrested Him
At approximately 4:00 am, a military operation was launched that aimed to capture the son of El Chapo, one of the leadership figures within the Sinaloa Cartel, Ovidio Guzmán.
The Army (SEDENA) was allegedly the main military group involved in the capture. The Marines (SEMAR) are the military group most often used for such high-profile targets, so the choice to use SEDENA seems significant. The Air Force and the National Guard also participated in the arrest.
Soldiers moved in to capture Ovidio from a property in the neighborhood of Jesús María, near Culiacán.
Neighbors allegedly began to hear gunfire at 4:40 am, according to Reforma newspaper.
Helicopter gunships were allegedly used and Special Forces units from Airborne divisions participated in the capture.
In total, 900 personnel from SEDENA, the Air Force, the National Guard, and Sinaloa State Police have been involved in the operations, although most were likely notified after the arrest was complete in order to prevent details of the operation leaking to Sinaloa Cartel members.
Cartel Hitmen Create Retaliatory Road Blockades
Culiacán Prison Riot
Journalist Jorge Sánchez Torres is reporting that a shootout can be heard near Culiacán’s prison, named Aguarato, which contains a considerable number of Sinaloa Cartel members.
Plumes of smoke are now emerging from the prison. Rumors of a massive riot inside are being shared on Twitter.
Culiacán Airport Closes to the Public Due to Violence
The Culiacán International Airport has announced that it will be closed all day. Videos uploaded to social media allegedly depict the gunshots which can allegedly be heard near the airport.
With high-profile arrests, it’s common that a detainee will be taken to an airport and flown out on a military plane to Mexico City, which lies safely beyond the grasp of the cartel hitmen trying to free him.
It is likely Sinaloa Cartel hitmen may approach the airports in the area, such as the Culiacán International Airport, and attempt to intercept Ovidio before he is put on a plane for Mexico City.
According to a flight tracker (flightradar24), two Boeing 737 airplanes have recently landed at the Culiacán International Airport.
Journalist Alejandro Domínguez reports that the 737s belong to the Mexican Airforce. He said that the two planes “took off from Santa Lucía minutes before 8am will land. Reinforcement soldiers usually travel in them.”
Videos on social media show passengers on an unrelated flight, Aeroméxico 165, cowering from nearby gunfire as hitmen tried to shoot their way into freeing Ovidio. Marines were allegedly present in vehicles on the runway, protecting and countering the hitmen’s attacks.
Below, is a video possibly showing authorities bracing for cartel attacks when a plane landed at an airfield in Jalisco.
In another video, a man with a gun runs toward a camera shortly after a flight takes off.
Ovidio’s Flight Takes Off, Possibly Lands
Journalist Luis Alberto Díaz is reporting that the plane containing Ovidio has already left the airfield in Sinaloa, saying it left at 9:25 am.
Plano Informativo, SPD Noticias, and Debate are reporting that the plane containing Ovidio has landed in Mexico City, at the military airfield Campo 1. Others alleged he has not landed yet, but instead his plane refueled at an airfield in Jalisco.
A video posted by Hesperia FC on Twitter allegedly shows Sinaloa Cartel hitmen attempting to shoot down the plane with Ovidio inside.
Surveillance Plane Over Jesus Maria
A small Beechcraft King Air 350 twin prop plane took off from the airport outside of Culiacan shortly after the aforementioned 737s landed.
For the last couple of hours, the surveillance plane has been flying circular patterns over the foothills north of Culiacan, concentrating heavily in the area of Jesus Maria, where Ovidio was allegedly captured. The plane is currently the most tracked flight in the world right now according to flightradar24.
Beech 350s are used by multiple Air Force groups around the world, as well as the US Army, and US law enforcement. There is no country of origin listed on the flight radar for this plane.
Some have speculated that another high-profile target may have been near Ovidio’s location – but managed to escape the area before they were captured.
The live flight data now cannot be found on the flight tracker. This is usually the case when the plan has been grounded and is no longer in flight.
https://www.flightradar24.com/B350/2ec0d7cf
Federal Detention Registry for Ovidio Appears Online
Culiacanazo 2.0: The Aftermath
Looting and violence is running rampant in Culiacan. Reporter López-Dóriga posted the following video which allegedly shows someone using a vehicle to ram into a store in the city for the purpose of looting.
Periodico Quequi has posted a compilation of clips which allegedly depict the looting going on in Culiacan.
La Voz del Pueblo has also posted alleged footage of the chaos inside a Culiacan hospital as members of both sides of the conflict arrive with gunshot wounds.
Below is aerial footage of Culiacan, showing the smoke from the narco blockades in the city.
The Twitter accounts César Jiménez Mtz and Jalisciense1cc posted videos that are alleged to show a plane shot down over Culiacan.
At a press conference in Mexico City, the head of the Army (SEDENA), Luis Cresencio Sandoval, officially announced that Ovidio Guzman had been captured.
SEDENA Tracked Ovidio for 6 Months
State Congress Suspends Session
Due to the criminal activities registered this morning in the city of Culiacán, the Sinaloa State Congress suspended all its activities until further notice.
Ebrard Announces No Immediate Extradition nor DEA Involvement
Public Security Secretary of Sinaloa Warns of Cartel Patrols
A video and photo were posted by La Jordona via Twitter and Youtube showing Ovidio being escorted onto a helicopter to be transported to Altiplano prison (the same prison his father El Chapo escaped from in 2015) after being processed in Mexico City following his capture. It is noted that since his first arrest in 2019, he has grown a beard and kept his long hair.
Army Colonel Killed Following Arrest