Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Backlash over Mexico's botched attempt to arrest 'El Chapo's' son

Backlash over Mexico's botched attempt to arrest 'El Chapo's' son

Armed men overpowered security forces on Thursday prompting them to release the son of drug lord 'El Chapo' Guzman.
The Mexican government sought to defuse mounting criticism on Friday, a day after the capture and abrupt release of the son of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, triggered intense gun battles in the streets, paralysing a major city.

On Thursday, armed men in the city of Culiacan, a stronghold of the Sinaloa Cartel, unleashed heavy gunfire on security forces, taking several of them hostage after they detained Ovidio Guzman - prompting security forces to release him.

The violence spread across the city of 750,000 people as the cartel deployed fighters, burned vehicles and blockaded streets. Schools were shut for the day and residents were told to stay inside.

Amid the chaos, dozens of inmates escaped from the city's prison.

Video of the events, which played out in broad daylight, were widely shared on social media. They showed terrified residents taking cover beside vehicles amid hails of gunfire and heavily armed men blocking streets against plumes of black smoke filling the sky.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in his daily news conference on Friday said the decision to release Guzman, was taken in order to save lives.

"This decision was made to protect citizens," Lopez Obrador said.

"The situation became very difficult, and many citizens, many people, many human beings were at risk," he said. "You can't fight fire with fire."

Officials said eight people were killed in the gun battles, including five suspected gunmen.

The botched arrest and the unrest it ensued drew accusations against the government of Lopez Obrador that it lacked a coherent security strategy and had surrendered to cartel violence.

"The take away from all this is that the Mexican government and the military was effectively forced into submission by criminal organizations," said Falko Ernst a Mexico researcher with the Crisis Group.

"It sets a dangerous precedent," Ernst said.

Ovidio Guzman, 28, became cartel leader after his father, considered one of Latin America's most powerful drug kingpins, was extradited to the United States in 2017.

According to the government's official account, Ovidio Guzman was temporarily detained on Thursday in a house by 30 troops. Following a violent response from the cartel, security forces released Guzman and withdrew from the house, officials said.

Public security secretary Alfonso Durazo said that eight troops and one army officer were briefly held hostage by gunmen and were freed in exchange for Guzman.

Defence Minister Luis Sandoval, in a news conference in Culiacan, admitted that the operation had been poorly planned.

"The task force acted hastily, the consequences were not considered, the riskiest part wasn't taken into account," Sandoval said.

"It was a badly planned strategy," he said.

Jaime Lopez-Aranda, a Mexico City-based security analyst said that what made the problem far worse, was the fact that the failed operation happened in public, almost in real time.

"It was a gigantic screw-up," Lopez Aranda said.

He added that it also demonstrated that the administration of Lopez Obrador lacks a coherent and decisive strategy on cartel violence in the country.

"It shows that they have zero operational accountability, knowledge or responsibility," he said.

The left-wing Lopez Obrador however, has criticised previous administrations' policies of using heavy military force to crack down on gang activity, saying it killed too many people and has failed to end criminal violence in the country.

During his campaign, he famously promised to be the president of "hugs, not bullets", and bring peace to Mexico after decades of surging criminal rates.

He rejected accusations that his government had acted weakly in releasing Guzman.

"That's the difference with this strategy compared with what previous governments have done. We don't want deaths, we don't want war," he said.

"The capture of a criminal cannot be worth more than people's lives."

And yet, the murder rates in Mexico this year are on track to surpass those of last year's, of more than 29,000.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×