Mexican troopers captured three of the closest allies of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s brother in an operation backed by U.S. intelligence, the navy mentioned Thursday.
Ten members of the faction of the Sinaloa cartel led by Aureliano Guzman Loera, generally known as “El Guano,” had been captured within the operation.
The raid was carried out with intelligence supplied by the U.S., the navy mentioned.
The detentions came about in Tamazula, a mountainous village close to the border between the states of Durango and Sinaloa the place “El Guano” exercised his best affect.
Among the many detained had been Aureliano’s Guzman’s “right-hand man,” chief bodyguard, and monetary and logistical aide, the protection secretary mentioned in an announcement.
Mexican marines supported by helicopters had deployed in December to the identical area on one other operation to attempt to seize Aureliano Guzman, based on native journalists. The U.S. State Division has supplied a reward of $5 million for info resulting in his arrest and conviction.
U.S. Division of State
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is finishing up a life sentence in the USA, the place two of his sons are additionally awaiting trial.
His associates have unleashed a warfare over management of the Sinaloa cartel in opposition to factions tied to Ismael Zambada, the cofounder of the group who can also be awaiting trial in the USA.
The navy raid within the mountainous sierra the place “El Chapo” used to cover came about amid tensions between Mexico and the USA over the presence of two U.S. brokers in an anti-narcotics operation carried out with out the obvious approval of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration. The U.S. brokers had been killed alongside two Mexican officers in a automotive crash following a raid on a clandestine drug lab.
The 2 Individuals who died within the crash had been staff of the Central Intelligence Company, a number of individuals aware of the matter informed CBS Information. The CIA declined to remark.
Sheinbaum has repeatedly rejected navy assist supplied by President Donald Trump to fight cartels.
The Mexican chief mentioned that assist from Washington must be restricted to intelligence sharing, whereas prohibiting on-the-ground actions with international brokers with out authorization from the federal authorities.
Sheinbaum mentioned Wednesday that she is contemplating potential sanctions in opposition to the federal government of Chihuahua — a state bordering Texas — for permitting the CIA brokers to take part within the operation.
The U.S. brokers killed had been “teacher officers” who “had been finishing up coaching duties” as a part of binational anti-drug cooperation, state prosecutor Cesar Jauregui informed reporters. Jauregui known as the focused labs “one of many largest websites discovered within the nation the place chemical medicine had been produced.”
U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson expressed his condolences on social media however he and different officers supplied few particulars of the incident.
Mexico has introduced the dismantling of quite a few drug labs in latest months after Mr. Trump threatened potential navy motion to curb drug trafficking. In February, Mexican naval personnel found a hidden drug laboratory within the nation’s Durango area and “neutralized” over 5,000 kilos of methamphetamine.
