Arrest of El Chapo's son Ovidio Guzman throws Mexico into chaos ahead of Biden visit

Just days before President Joe Biden's visit to Mexico, the country was thrown into turmoil as alleged cartel members blocked off an airport and areas outside a local army base and limited access to the city of Culiacan, in an unsuccessful effort to thwart the capture of drug trafficker Ovidio Guzmán.

Mexican security forces captured Guzmán, the son of the infamous Sinaloa drug lord known as "El Chapo," in a predawn operation Thursday. Guzmán is wanted by the U.S. for his involvement in the cartel's activities.

The chaos spurred gunfights across the northwestern state's capital ahead of Biden's scheduled two-day visit on Monday for bilateral talks with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the North American Leaders' Summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Both drug trafficking as well as stemming migration are expected to be major topics of conversation among the leaders.

Such efforts to sow chaos have often occurred after federal security forces arrested important leaders of cartels in Mexico. Alleged cartel members carjacked residents' cars, set vehicles ablaze and intermittent gunfire could be heard into the afternoon, as Mexico authorities warned people to stay inside and airports in several Sinaloa cities remained closed.

Airline Aeromexico said in a statement that one of its jets had been struck by a bullet Thursday morning as it prepared for takeoff from the Culiacan airport. Online video filmed by passengers showed people kneeling on the floor of the plane. The airline said no one was injured. Mexico's Civil Aviation Agency said in a statement that an air force plane in the region had also been hit with gunfire.

The White House did not immediately provide comment on whether there were concerns about the security situation in the region and if that might impact Biden's upcoming trip, during which he is also expected to spend time at the border.

Drug trafficking helps fuel US addiction

Guzmán has been heavily involved in the cartel's production of illegal fentanyl, which has helped fuel an epidemic of drug use and deaths in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 71,000 Americans died of overdose deaths from synthetic opioids – mostly involving fentanyl – in 2021.

“This is a significant blow to the Sinaloa cartel and major victory for the rule of law. It will not, however, impede the flow of drugs into the U.S. Hopefully, Mexico will extradite him to the U.S.,” Mike Vigil, the Drug Enforcement Administration's former chief of International Operations, told the AP on Thursday.

Known as "the Mouse," Guzmán was not one of El Chapo's better-known sons until an aborted operation to capture him three years ago just months after his father was sentenced to life in a U.S. prison. At the time, similar violence broke out in Culiacan, a stronghold city for the Sinaloa cartel, before López Obrador ordered the military to release Guzmán.

López Obrador said at the time he wanted to avoid the loss of life, even though the U.S. was seeking Guzmán extradition on drug trafficking charges. He was indicted in 2018 by a grand jury in Washington, along with a fourth brother, for the alleged trafficking of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.

On Thursday, despite the cartel's efforts, Guzmán was flown to Mexico City where he was taken to the offices of the Attorney General's organized crime special prosecutor.

Six months of surveillance to capture

Guzmán's capture was the result of six months of reconnaissance and surveillance in the cartel’s territory and then quick action on Thursday. National Guard troops spotted SUVs, some with homemade armor, and immediately coordinated with the army to establish a perimeter around the suspicious vehicles and force the occupants out to be searched.

Although the security forces came under fire, they were still able to gain control of the situation and identify Guzmán among those present and in possession of firearms.

López Obrador, who entered his six-year term as Mexico's president in December 2018, criticized his predecessor's approach to the country's ongoing drug war and violence, opting for “hugs, not bullets” and a focus on social programs to try to weaken the draw of the cartels. But the country's death toll has remained high.

In July, Mexico captured Rafael Caro Quintero, once known as a godfather of drug trafficking who allegedly murdered a DEA agent three decades ago. The capture just days after López Obrador was to meet with Biden in the White House was seen as a signal that the Mexican president was willing to go after high-profile cartel bosses again.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: El Chapo son arrest throws Mexico into chaos days prior to Biden visit