Cartel gunmen wage all-out battle against security forces, free drug kingpin El Chapo’s son


Afp, Culiacán
Heavily armed gunmen waged an all-out battle against Mexican security forces Thursday as soldiers arrested -- then reportedly released -- a son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in his home state, Sinaloa.

Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said soldiers on a routine afternoon patrol came under fire from a residence in the state capital, Culiacan.

He said they responded by taking the house and detaining four people inside, including Ovidio Guzman, one of several sons of “El Chapo” who have partly taken over the Sinaloa cartel since he was extradited to the United States in 2017.

Cartel gunmen then “surrounded the house, outnumbering the soldiers,” and began a massive assault on various parts of the city, Durazo said.

That triggered an hours-long battle that left blazing vehicles strewn across the street and sent terrified residents running for shelter.

“In order to protect the greater good, the people of Culiacan’s safety and well-being, the (federal government’s) security cabinet decided to suspend said actions,” Durazo said in a video message.

According to Mexican media reports, that included freeing Ovidio Guzman.

Neither Durazo nor President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s office immediately responded to requests for further information, and details on the day’s incidents remained murky.

Durazo said the security cabinet would travel to Culiacan to personally oversee the next steps.

Images carried on Mexican television showed army and police personnel under assault by men armed with heavy weapons.

Gunmen blocked roads and highways into the evening, bringing the city of 750,000 people to a standstill, AFP journalists said.

They also said an unknown number of inmates had escaped from the Aguaruto prison in Culiacan amid the chaos.