Who is El Chapo’s son Ovidio Guzman Lopez?
OVIDIO Guzman Lopez is the son of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
After allegedly helping run the infamous Sinaloa Cartel since the extradition of his father to the United States in 2017, the 32-year-old was arrested by Mexican security forces on January 5, 2023.
Who is El Chapo's son Ovidio Guzman Lopez?
Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 32, is the son of infamous drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzman.
The 32-year-old is one of four children from his father's second marriage.
He is thought to be involved with the powerful Sinaloa cartel.
Ovidio and his older brother Ivan reportedly took control of the drug gang after their father was captured and extradited to the US in 2017.
The Sinaloa Cartel, also known as the Guzman-Loera Organisation, is a Mexico-based international drug trafficking organisation responsible for importing and distributing more than a million kilograms of cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin in the US, according to the US Office of Public Affairs.
When was Ovidio Guzman Lopez arrested?
On Thursday, January 5, 2023, Ovidio was captured by Mexican security forces ahead of a visit by US President Joe Biden the following week.
The arrest came during a night of violence that paralyzed the Sinaloan city of Culiacan on Thursday, city officials said.
The US had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Ovidio's arrest or conviction.
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It is not clear whether Ovidio will be extradited to the United States like his father, who is serving a life sentence at Colorado's Supermax - the most secure US federal prison.
Ovidio was briefly captured in 2019 before security forces were forced to free him after the cartel launched an all-out war in response, on the streets of Culiacan.
Ovidio has also been accused by the US State Department - along with his brother - of currently overseeing some 11 meth labs in Sinaloa state, producing up to 2,200kg of the drug per month.
Authorities believe he is also behind the murders of informants, a rival drug trafficker, and a popular Mexican singer who refused to sing at his wedding.
Mexico's Defence Secretary, Luis Cresencio Sandoval has confirmed that Ovidio has already been flown secretly to Mexico City to avoid a repeat of what transpired in 2019.
However, violence on the streets of Mexico has once again erupted between the army and the cartel due to his capture.
Drug cartel gunmen invaded Culiacan International Airport in the western Mexican province of Sinaloa and opened fire at army planes to avenge the arrest.
Parts of the city of Culiacan, a stronghold of the Sinaloa cartel, were seized by cartel members, who carjacked residents and torched vehicles.
The Mexican government frantically unleashed tanks and heavily armed teams in a bid to control the violent scenes.
Authorities urged people to stay indoors and said schools and administrative offices were closed due to the violence.
Street blockades were also erected.
Who is El Chapo?
Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, born April 4, 1957, was known by multiple nicknames, but his most famous was "El Chapo" meaning "shorty" in English.
He ran the Sinaloa Cartel, a criminal organisation named after the Mexican Pacific coast.
El Chapo became the country's top drug lord in 2003 after the arrest of his rival Osiel Cardenas of the Gulf Cartel and later one of Mexico's most wanted men.
He was considered the "most powerful drug trafficker in the world" by the US Department of the Treasury.
Guzman was believed to be a "principal leader" of the organisation.
He also earned the nickname "El Rapido" for how quickly he transported drugs from Mexico to America for the Colombian cartels.
Prosecutors say he made US$12.67 billion via the drug syndicate and as of February 2012, his net worth was estimated to be over $16billion.
El Chapo was found guilty of trafficking masses of cocaine, heroine and marijuana while running the Sinaloa Cartel in a US court.
US District Judge Brian Cogan ordered Guzman to forfeit $12.6 billion after his conviction.
He also said Guzman deserved the harshest sentence possible because any potentially redeeming qualities were overshadowed by "overwhelming evil."
He was transferred to a supermax, super-maximum security prison in Florence, Colorado.
Having escaped from prison twice before, he will now spend the rest of his life behind bars.
El Chapo is married to Emma Coronel Aispuro - she too was jailed in 2021, for trafficking drugs and laundering money for her husband’s Sinaloa Cartel.