International
29 killed in arrest of Mexico drug kingpin’s son
January 6th | By AFP |
Ten soldiers and 19 suspected criminals were killed in an operation to arrest a son of jailed drug trafficker Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Mexico’s government said Friday, with a dramatic shootout sowing terror at an airport.
Thousands of soldiers retook control of the Sinaloa cartel stronghold of Culiacan, which resembled a war zone after furious gunmen went on the rampage to try to free their boss.
Ovidio Guzman was captured in the northwestern city on Thursday and flown to Mexico City before being transferred to the high-security Altiplano prison in central Mexico from which “El Chapo” escaped in 2015.
The 32-year-old, nicknamed “El Raton” (The Mouse), had allegedly helped to run his father’s operations since the former Sinaloa cartel boss was extradited to the United States in 2017.
A colonel who commanded an infantry battalion was among those killed after his team came under attack following the arrest, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval told reporters.
Another 35 soldiers sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to hospital, while 21 gunmen were arrested.
Sandoval said a civilian airliner that was about to take off from Culiacan International Airport, as well as two Mexican Air Force aircraft, were hit as cartel henchmen tried to free Ovidio Guzman.
The military planes “had to make an emergency landing” after receiving “a significant number of impacts,” said Sandoval.
No injuries resulted from the plane attacks and Culiacan airport resumed operations on Friday.
Multimillion-dollar bounty
The United States had issued a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Ovidio Guzman’s capture. It accuses him of being a key player in the Sinaloa cartel founded by his father.
The arrest came as Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador prepared to welcome his US counterpart Joe Biden for a North America leaders’ summit next week where security is expected to be high on the agenda.
Mexico denied that the United States had been involved in the operation to catch Ovidio Guzman.
“We act autonomously, independently. Yes there is cooperation and there will continue to be, but we make the decisions as a sovereign government,” Lopez Obrador told reporters.
He said calm had returned to Culiacan, where security forces removed dozens of stolen and burnt out vehicles scattered throughout the city of 800,000 people.
Videos on social media Thursday showed passengers and Aeromexico airline employees ducking behind counters as gunfire rang out at Culiacan airport.
Cartel gunmen set cars and trucks ablaze at several intersections in the city, and authorities reported 19 roadblocks.
Cocaine, meth and fentanyl
El Chapo is serving a life sentence in the United States for trafficking hundreds of tons of drugs into the country over the course of 25 years.
However, his cartel remains one of the most powerful in Mexico, accused by Washington of exploiting an opioid epidemic by flooding communities in the United States with fentanyl, a synthetic drug about 50 times more potent than heroin.
Ovidio Guzman and one of his brothers are accused of overseeing nearly a dozen methamphetamine labs in Sinaloa as well as conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana, according to the US State Department.
Ovidio Guzman also allegedly ordered the murders of informants, a drug trafficker and a Mexican singer who refused to perform at his wedding, it said.
He was captured briefly once before in 2019, but security forces freed him after his cartel waged an all-out war in response.
His release prompted sharp criticism of Lopez Obrador, who said the decision was made to protect civilians’ lives.
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has played down the prospects of a fast-track extradition, saying Ovidio Guzman was expected to face legal proceedings in Mexico.
Mexico has registered more than 340,000 murders since the government controversially deployed the army to fight drug cartels in 2006, most of them blamed on criminal gangs.
International
Cuba accuses U.S. of pressuring countries ahead of UN vote on embargo
The Cuban government on Wednesday accused the United States of exerting “intimidating and deceptive pressure” on third countries to vote against the annual UN General Assembly resolution calling for an end to U.S. sanctions on the island.
In a statement to the international press, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez claimed that Havana possesses “reliable information” about Washington’s efforts to pressure countries in Latin America and Europe ahead of the vote.
The non-binding resolution, presented every year by Cuba since 1992, has consistently received overwhelming supportfrom the international community — with 187 votes in favor and only two against (the U.S. and Israel) in recent years. The next vote is scheduled to take place on October 28.
Rodríguez described the resolution as a diplomatic victory for Cuba despite its lack of practical effect, and asserted that his government had obtained U.S. documents sent to other nations urging them to “change their historical position” on the issue.
According to the foreign minister, the United States has allegedly “coerced allied nations” in recent weeks using tactics such as visa denials, trade tariffs, and pressure on private companies.
He further stated that in two written communications, dated October 8 and 17, Washington explicitly urged the recipients to “reject” the Cuban resolution “in accordance with applicable legal measures.”
Central America
U.S. and Panama hold joint jungle exercises to strengthen security ties
U.S. and Panamanian security forces carried out joint exercises in Panama’s jungle on Wednesday, focusing on the exchange of specialized knowledge as part of renewed bilateral cooperation in security and defense, according to official statements.
Joint operations between the two nations—Panama, which has had no standing army since 1990, and the United States—have been frequent since the 1989 U.S. invasion. The latest drills come after both countries renewed their security cooperation last April through a memorandum of understanding, which initially sparked some controversy in Panama due to provisions allowing greater temporary and rotational U.S. military presence.
The exercises also coincide with an unprecedented U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean, part of Washington’s expanded anti-narcotics campaign, which it links to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government—currently the target of a $50 million U.S. reward offer.
“We are simply focused on creating mutual understanding and shared experiences that can be beneficial for both countries, Panama and the United States,” said U.S. Colonel Ada Cotton during a press briefing.
The U.S. contingent, composed of Marines and an Army officer, participated at the invitation of the Panamanian government, which, according to Cotton, “has clearly defined what we can and cannot do” during the training exercises.
International
Colombia conducts nationwide emergency drill focused on hidroituango dam
Colombians took part on Wednesday in the National Emergency Response Drill, an exercise aimed at enhancing citizens’ ability to react to risk situations and promoting a culture of prevention.
According to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), the drill was conducted throughout the country.
This year’s main focus was Hidroituango, Colombia’s largest hydroelectric power plant, located in a mountainous canyon in the municipality of Ituango, in the northwestern department of Antioquia.
The head of the UNGRD, Carlos Carrillo, oversaw the exercise at Hidroituango, which is powered by the Cauca River, the country’s second most important waterway after the Magdalena.
“We simulated a rise in the Cauca River’s water level,” Carrillo explained, noting that evacuation sirens sounded at 7:30 a.m. local time (12:30 GMT) and that five municipalities upstream and five downstreamtook part in the drill.
Personnel operating the hydroelectric plant’s machinery also evacuated their work areas as part of the exercise.
Carrillo emphasized that the data collected during the simulation will be crucial to assess and strengthen the response capabilities of local governments and communities.
Cuba accuses U.S. of pressuring countries ahead of UN vote on embargo
U.S. and Panama hold joint jungle exercises to strengthen security ties
Colombia conducts nationwide emergency drill focused on hidroituango dam
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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