El Chapo's Son Ovidio Guzman Lopez of Sinaloa Cartel Had 47 Weapons, Including Anti-Aircraft Guns, in His Bedroom
Ovidio Guzman Lopez, the son of Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, was found to have anti-aircraft guns inside his bedroom, along with other high-power weapons.
During a Congress meeting on Monday, Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said they found "47 weapons, including some very high-power weapons and anti-aircraft guns" inside Ovidio's bedroom alone, VICE reported.
Ebrard noted that these types of weapons cannot be sold in any store, adding that they were still finding out who sold them to El Chapo's son. Military troops arrested Ovidio in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, on January 5. During the violent operation to capture him, at least 29 people were killed.
According to Mexican police, 10 soldiers and 19 individuals suspected to be Sinaloa Cartel members were killed during and after the arrest of El Chapo's son. Aside from the deaths, BBC reported that 35 military personnel were injured and 21 gunmen were arrested.
Immediately after Ovidio was apprehended, Sinaloa Cartel gunmen invaded the city of Culiacan. They set up roadblocks in a bid to free him and clashed with authorities. At least two planes at a Sinaloa airport were reportedly hit by gunfire, and dozens of vehicles were set fire. The gunfight reportedly lasted for more than 10 hours.
Mexico Official Says Guns Found in El Chapo's Son Ovidio Guzman Lopez's House From U.S.
According to Marcelo Ebrard, most of the weapons confiscated inside Ovidio Guzman Lopez's house were traced back to the same gun manufacturers in the United States sued by the government of Mexico last year.
Ebrard noted that most weapons that come into Mexico from the U.S. border concentrate in 10 counties, Borderland Beat reported. These counties were Harris, Dallas, El Paso, Bexar, and Orange in Texas; Maricopa and Pima in Arizona; Hampden in Massachusetts; Hartford in Connecticut; and Los Angeles in California.
The foreign minister said an armory in Hartford sold more than 1,650 weapons located in high-powered criminal areas in Mexico, 1,482 in Maricopa, and 1,156 in Harris, Texas. Ebrard noted that the "whole problem of controlling the sale of arms to Mexico could be reduced to controlling the companies" that sell weapons in the 10 counties.
According to the Washington Post, Mexican officials said guns from the U.S. have flooded Mexico, with the number of .50-calibers and assault rifles more than doubled in the past decade.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said about 70 percent of firearms found at crime scenes in Mexico are traceable to the U.S. Local Mexican customs chief Juan Gim Nogales previously said that a surge in ammunition is also a problem.
Nogales noted that the number of ammunition seized in 2020 surged compared to 2019. He said agents at the port of entry confiscated over "four times the ammunition" than in 2019. Nogales noted that they could not tell what the Mexican drug cartels were "getting ready for, but they're arming up."
El Chapo's Sons: The Los Chapitos of Sinaloa Cartel
The four sons of El Chapo, known as Los Chapitos, had reportedly assumed leadership roles in the Sinaloa Cartel after their father was arrested and extradited to the U.S.\ Ovidio Guzman Lopez, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar are collectively known as Los Chapitos.
Under their leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel has continued to be one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels. The U.S. State Department has offered $5 million rewards for any information that could help federal agents arrest El Chapo's four sons.
The State Department said the Los Chapitos are high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel and are each subject to a federal indictment for their involvement in the illegal drug trade.
Their father's former right-hand man, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, was reportedly the Los Chapitos' internal enemy number one. El Chapo's sons have also been at odds with their uncle, Aureliano "El Guano" Guzman. El Chapo's brother is also a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel.
READ MORE: El Chapo Son Ovidio Guzman Lopez's Arrest Sparks Ongoing Street Warfare in Mexico's Sinaloa State
This article is owned by Latin Post
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: México Va Por Vendedores De 47 Armas en Poder De Ovidio Guzmán: Ebrard - From MILENIO