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The Battle of Culiacán,[3][4] also known locally as the Culiacanazo[5] and Black Thursday,[6] was a failed attempt to capture Ovidio Guzmán López, son of Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, who was wanted in the United States for drug trafficking.
Battle of Culiacán | |||||||
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Part of the Mexican Drug War | |||||||
![]() Culiacán the day after the battle. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Units involved | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
350[1] | 700-800[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
2 killed | 8 killed | ||||||
4 civilians killed, 21 injured[2] |
Arrest
editOn 17 October 2019, a convoy consisting of 35 police officers and soldiers drove up to Ovidio's house in the Tres Ríos neighborhood of Culiacán, Sinaloa.[7] Initial government reports claimed that this convoy was doing a routine patrol of the area at the time and only approached the house after being fired upon,[8][9] but after the battle, authorities admitted that the arrest was a pre-planned military operation done in response to a U.S. extradition request.[10][11] Four people, including Ovidio, were found inside at 3:00 PM local time.[7]
Battle
editAround 700 cartel gunmen began to attack civilian, government and military targets around the city,[1] despite orders from Ovidio sent at security forces' request.[10] Massive towers of smoke could be seen rising from burning cars and vehicles. The cartels were well-equipped, with improvised armored vehicles, bulletproof vests, .50 caliber (12.7 mm) rifles, rocket launchers, grenade launchers and heavy machine guns.[8]
56 prisoners in the city's prison rioted, took weapons from guards, and escaped in what The Daily Beast said "appeared to be a planned attack".[12][13]
In the end, Ovidio was released after the cartel took eight servicemen as hostages,[14] including one captured from local barracks in front of his children.[15]
Aftermath
editPresident Andrés Manuel López Obrador defended the decision to release Ovidio, arguing it prevented further loss of life,[9] insisting that he wanted to pacify the country and did not want more massacres,[16] and arguing that the capture of one drug smuggler could not be more valuable than the lives of innocent civilians.[17] While admitting that the security forces underestimated the Cartel's manpower and ability to respond,[18] López Obrador also clarified that criminal processes against Ovidio were still ongoing,[19] sending 8,000 troops and police reinforcements to restore peace in Culiacán.[1]
Police officer Eduardo Triana Sandoval was ambushed at a strip mall and assassinated on 8 November 2019.[20] Many media outlets claimed that he took part in Ovidio's arrest,[21][22][23] however Cristóbal Castañeda Camarillo, head of Sinaloa State Police, stated he only took part in subsequent "containment actions".[24]
Following another operation in Culiacán on 5 January 2023, Guzmán López was successfully recaptured by Mexican authorities and transferred to a maximum security prison in Almoloya de Juárez, resulting in the 2023 Sinaloa unrest.[25][26]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Y la entidad, con al menos 8,000 soldados, policías y de la GN" [And the entity, with at least 8,000 soldiers, police and the GN]. El Economista (in Spanish). 20 October 2019. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ Vizcarra, Marcos (21 October 2019). "Suman 14 muertos por balaceras en Culiacán" [There are 14 dead in shootings in Culiacán]. Reforma (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- ^ "Mexico's Drug War: The Battle of Culiacán". Time. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ Castañeda, Jorge G. (23 October 2019). "Opinion: The Bigger Story Behind the Humiliating Release of El Chapo's Son". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
The battle of Culiacán illustrates that the Sinaloa cartel is no weaker today than before the war on drugs began. [...] Days before the battle of Culiacán, 14 policemen were massacred in the town of Aguililla, in the state of Michoacán [...]
- ^ Díaz, Arturo Ordaz (17 October 2020). "'Culiacanazo', la batalla que ganó el crimen organizado a las fuerzas federales de AMLO" ['Culiacanazo', the battle that organized crime won against AMLO's federal forces]. Forbes México (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ Serrano, Gladys; Hernández, César; Mercado, Dulce (25 October 2021). "Las voces del 'jueves negro' en Culiacán" [The voices of 'Black Thursday' in Culiacán]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Historia de un desastre: el operativo que capturó al hijo de El Chapo y se vio obligado a liberarle" [Story of a disaster: the operation that captured El Chapo's son and was forced to release him]. El País (in Spanish). 18 October 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Weapons used by Sinaloa Cartel sicarios in Culiacán, Mexico". The Hoplite. Armament Research Services. 18 October 2019. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ a b "El Chapo: Mexican president says police 'did right' to free drug lord's son". BBC News. 18 October 2019. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- ^ a b Francis, Enjoli; Radia, Kirit (30 October 2019). "Mexico releases video showing moment military faced El Chapo's son amid deadly violence". ABC News. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ Gallón, Natalie; Hanna, Jason; Regan, Helen (18 October 2019). "Son of 'El Chapo' was caught during a massive shootout. Mexican officials say they released him to save lives". CNN. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ Latza Nadeau, Barbie (19 October 2019). "Eight Dead, Prisoners Escape in Botched Attempt to Arrest El Chapo's Son". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Villarreal, Andrés; Orsi, Peter (18 October 2019). "Failed raid against El Chapo's son leaves 8 dead in Mexico, more than 20 wounded". El Paso Times. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Linthicum, Kate (18 October 2019). "Eight killed in Mexico as cartel gunmen force authorities to release El Chapo's son". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ "Durante operativo en Culiacán, sicarios atacaron unidad habitacional militar" [During operation in Culiacán, hitmen attacked military housing unit]. Uno TV (in Spanish). 30 October 2019. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ Rodríguez García, Arturo (14 October 2019). "Trabajamos para pacificar el país sin guerra, exterminios ni masacres, dice AMLO" [We work to pacify the country without war, extermination or massacres, says AMLO]. Proceso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ "No vale más captura que vida de personas-AMLO" [Capture is not worth more than life of people-AMLO]. Reforma (in Spanish). 18 October 2019. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ "Soldados de luto, mexicanos divididos por la decisión de AMLO de liberar al hijo de 'El Chapo'" [Mourning soldiers, Mexicans divided by AMLO's decision to free the son of 'El Chapo']. Chicago Tribune (in Spanish). Associated Press. 21 October 2019. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ Ponce, Jannet López (31 October 2019). "AMLO dice que sigue orden de extradición contra Ovidio Guzmán; "no se cancela"" [AMLO says extradition order against Ovidio Guzmán continues; "it is not canceled"]. Milenio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ Baldenea, Jesús (31 October 2023). "Así fue el trágico final de Eduardo Triana Sandoval, el policía que trabajó en la primera detención de Ovidio Guzmán" [This was the tragic end of Eduardo Triana Sandoval, the police officer who worked on the first arrest of Ovidio Guzmán]. Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Police officer who arrested El Chapo's son killed". The Independent. 8 November 2019. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022.
- ^ Sakelaris, Nicholas (8 November 2019). "Gunmen kill Mexican police officer linked to arrest of 'El Chapo' son". United Press International. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ Lockyer, Chris (8 November 2019). "El Chapo: Police officer who arrested drug lord's son killed in hail of 155 bullets". Sky News. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Cabrera Martínez, Javier (6 November 2019). "Descartan que policía asesinado en Culiacán participó en operativo contra Ovidio Guzmán" [They rule out that a police officer murdered in Culiacán participated in an operation against Ovidio Guzmán]. El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Ramírez, Ne (5 January 2023). "Ovidio Guzmán llega a penal del Altiplano tras 12 horas de su detención en Culiacán" [Ovidio Guzmán arrives at the Altiplano prison after 12 hours of his arrest in Culiacán]. Excélsior (in Spanish).
- ^ Kitroeff, Natalie; Fisher, Steve (5 January 2023). "El Chapo's Son Is Captured by Mexican Authorities for 2nd Time". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 January 2023.