The state of Sinaloa woke up with a violent day on January 5, in which burning vehicles, drug blockades, shootings, and theft of cars were reported in various parts of Culiacán after the recapture of Ovidio Guzmán. Due to these riots, local authorities have asked citizens to take shelter in their homes in the face of imminent risk.
Local media reported on an armed confrontation in the Jesús María area, where cargo vehicles on fire have also been reported. The Secretary of State Public Security, Cristóbal Castañeda, confirmed these facts through his social networks.
“Vehicle seizures and blockades are taking place in different parts of the city (…) We are acting accordingly,” said the official without giving further details. Meanwhile, the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, urged citizens to “remain calm” and not leave their homes.
Faced with these violent acts, the Sinaloa Ministry of Public Education and Culture (SEPyC) determined to suspend all teaching and administrative activities in the municipality of Culiacán for this January 5. The foregoing is in order to safeguard the integrity of the student community. The same instructions were given by the municipal council and the state government for their workers after they also suspended work.
The Culiacán and Mazatlán International Airports indicated that they will remain closed until 10:00 p.m. to protect the safety of passengers. Moments before they had indicated that there were no canceled flights, so they asked their clients to check the status of their flights with their respective airlines in case they had a trip scheduled for this Thursday. “Avoid walking in public areas,” they recommended.
Shortly before 10:00 a.m., the capture of Ovidio Guzmán, alias El Ratón, one of the leaders of “Los Chapitos”, a cell attached to the Sinaloa Cartel, was reported. The 32-year-old drug lord is also wanted by the US authorities for his alleged involvement in the transfer of drugs to the neighboring country, for which they offered up to 5 million dollars in exchange for information leading to his whereabouts or arrest.
The transfer of two military planes from the Santa Lucía airbase in Mexico City to the state of Sinaloa was reported earlier in the day, considering that the son of “El Chapo” must be extracted and transferred to a high-security prison, far from the influence of the Sinaloa Cartel.
These events occurred four days after the President of the United States, Joe Biden, held a meeting with López Obrador in Mexico on the occasion of the North American Leaders Summit, in which the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin, will also participate.
For this reason, the United States embassy in Mexico asked US citizens not to travel to Sinaloa in the face of the shootings in Culiacán that spread to Los Mochis and Guasave.
Schools, businesses, and airports closed in Culiacán, Sinaloa after the arrest of El Chapo's son sparked violence in the area controlled by the . . .
