AMLO denies having anything to do with Ovidio Guzmán’s capture and Biden’s visit

(CNN Spanish) — “We are acting autonomously,” insisted Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador when asked at a press conference this Friday. Ovidio Guzmán Lopez was capturedThe son of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán has been linked to US President Joe Biden’s visit to Mexico.

The Mexican president denied that Thursday’s operation in Culiacan, Sinaloa, to capture Guzmán López, was planned for Biden’s visit to the country as part of the North American Leaders’ Summit in that country. AMLO and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will hold meetings to discuss key issues for the region.

“There are a lot of explanations, we don’t share them, we act autonomously,” AMLO said.

Regarding the situation in Culiacán, López Obrador announced that “elements of the Secretary of Defense of the National Guard” and the presence of the State Police will be maintained to prevent harm to civilians in Sinaloa.

The President said that there is peace now and although it has not been possible to remove all the vehicles blocking the roads in the area, the work is being carried out.

“In Culiacan we have already opened all the blocked streets and we are in the process of removing burnt cars from the roadsides,” the president said.

AMLO added that there was no US support or intervention in the move.

When will Ovidio Guzmán be extradited?

Mexican authorities said Guzmán López was arrested on various charges, but remains in the custody of the prosecutor’s office.

AMLO confirmed that the request is made by the government to the United States, but evidence, elements must be presented, and judges in Mexico must decide. “It’s not just the request, it proves what kind of offense you’re being asked for”.

“There is no fast track,” the president added.

A federal judge in Mexico City stayed the extradition on Friday Ovid Guzman The United States, a country seeking his extradition for drug trafficking and is being offered up to US$5 million for information leading to the capture of a man described as a “senior member of the Sinaloa cartel.”

Secretary of State Marcelo Ebrard has provided details on how Guzmán López’s case will proceed. There is an arrest warrant dated September 19, 2019, but he expected a possible extradition would not be immediate due to legal formalities. He also clarified that there is an open process for Ovidio Guzmán in Mexico.

“The law sets a deadline for the presentation of evidence against the people. We estimate that this will happen within four to six weeks after the United States submitted the extradition request,” he explained.

If the evidence continues, the trial judge will make the decision. The hearing will begin on January 9, the secretary said.

Soldiers and cartel members killed in operation to capture Ovidio Guzmán López

Mexico’s National Security Secretary Luis Crescencio Sandoval told a press conference that 19 deaths and 21 prisoners from criminal groups and the attacks and sieges in Culiacán were carried out during the operation.

After the capture, apart from vehicles and armored trucks, dozens of weapons were seized from the group.

On the side of the government forces, 10 soldiers were killed and 35 were receiving medical treatment for gunshot wounds, Sandoval said.

“There is no information about civilian casualties due to these operations,” he added.

Similarly, a house was seized with drugs including marijuana, cocaine and fentanyl, he said.

Sandoval said “Ovidio Guzman” was recaptured Thursday as a result of “six months of intelligence and surveillance work. The influence of Los Menors.” According to Santoval, a criminal organization linked to the Pacific Cartel, Chapo’s son headed it.

Elements of the National Guard and the Army, with the coordination of the Attorney General of the Republic and the Secretary of Public Security of Sinaloa, participated in a joint operation in Culiacan, Sinaloa, which carried a “personal weapon,” the secretary added. Many trucks.

Ovidio Guzmán, in the same prison where his father escaped

Guzmán López was transferred Thursday night to the Federal Center for Community Reading (Cefereso) No. 1, known as the Altiplano maximum security prison, located in the municipality of Almoloya de Juárez in the state of Mexico. This is the same prison from which his father escaped. Chapo Guzmán, in 2015, makes a spectacular escape through a tunnel in which he exploits a blind spot in a cell.

Sandoval confirmed that the Altiplano has been reinforced with security circles and that 1,000 soldiers will “continue to operate in Sinaloa” on this mission.