El Chapo Son's Arrest: New Details on Army Operation to Capture Ovidio Guzman Lopez Emerge After Hackers Accessed Mexico's Defense Ministry Data
Some new details about the failed military operation to arrest Ovidio Guzman Lopez, the son of Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, emerged after a group of hackers, calling themselves "Guacamaya," managed to gain access to Mexico's Ministry of Defense (SEDENA) confidential records.
According to journalist Carlos Loret de Mola, the hackers managed to get confidential emails, documents, and videos from SEDENA's servers, including President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's health records.
The data was reportedly sent Thursday night to Loret, who disclosed some details in the digital news media platform Latinus. Some of the confidential documents revealed that Lopez Obrador was diagnosed with angina, a worrying heart condition that can lead to heart attacks.
It was discovered after an Army air ambulance went to his ranch in Palenque, Chiapas, last January 2 to transfer him to a Mexico City hospital, where he was monitored and received medical tests. Loret said no one from Lopez Obrador's administration mentioned the emergency transfer or the serious diagnosis.
Confidential documents also revealed a national security fact that there was a lack of army presence at border crossings, not just on the U.S.-Mexico border but also on the Mexico-Guatemala border down in the south.
Based on the acquired reports, the Ministry of Defense admitted that the case on the southern border, particularly in Cancun, was "serious." It said the Cancun airport terminal should have 56 soldiers, but there are only 14. The ministry added that only three soldiers were sometimes placed in critical areas, allowing an open door to illegal trafficking activities.
Hackers Reveal Details on Operation to Arrest El Chapo's Son Ovidio Guzman Lopez
The Guacamaya hackers also revealed details of the operation known as "Culiacanazo," which was an operation to capture El Chapo's son and the youngest member of Los Chapitos, Ovidio Guzman Lopez.
The operation was reportedly carried out to fulfill an arrest warrant issued by the Federal Court of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2018, "for crimes of organized crime for the purpose of stockpiling and trafficking weapons, kidnapping, collection of flat and crimes against health."
According to the hacked documents that summarized what happened, the operation reportedly started at 3:15 p.m. in Culiacan city in Sinaloa state on October 17, 2019, Zetai Tijuana reported.
The Army managed to capture El Chapo's son, but members of the Sinaloa Cartel loyal to Los Chapitos launched attacks all over the city. Two minutes later, or at 3:17 p.m., the security forces asked Ovidio "to persuade his brothers" to stop the attack to prevent more bloodshed.
The information showed that Ovidio was able to talk to his brother Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, another Los Chapitos member, and asked him to order the cessation of the attacks.
However, his brother responded with a refusal and made threats against the military personnel and their families. Because of this, Loret said the president "folded his hands before the Sinaloa Cartel" after a few hours.
The military report noted that "at 7:30 p.m.," the Army received the order from Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to stop the operation to arrest Ovidio. The hacked report also revealed that nine people died that day, contradicting the official version, which said there were only eight deaths.
According to Reuters, Lopez Obrador admitted that he was the one who personally ordered Ovidio's release that led to the embarrassment of his administration as Sinaloa Cartel forces overwhelmed Mexican authorities.
The president previously said that he ordered the release of El Chapo's son in order to protect the citizens caught in the crossfire between government forces and the Sinaloa Cartel.
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Rewards Offered for El Chapo's Sons, Known as the Los Chapitos
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.
Joaquin Guzman Lopez, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman, and Jesus Alfredo Guzman had allegedly shared control of the Sinaloa Cartel along with their uncle Aureliano "El Guano" Guzman and co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.
Last December, the U.S. State Department offered $5 million rewards for any information that could help federal agents arrest El Chapo's four sons. U.S. investigators said that the Los Chapitos manage around 11 laboratories in their home state of Sinaloa that produce up to 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine monthly.
The State Department said the Los Chapitos are high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel and are subject to a federal indictment for their involvement in the illegal drug trade.
The Sinaloa Cartel is one of Mexico's largest and most powerful drug trafficking organizations. The group was founded in the late 1980s and headed by El Chapo.
Under El Chapo's leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel earned its reputation through violence and outfought several rival groups. El Chapo was sentenced to spend the rest of his days in the ADX Florence "supermax" prison in Colorado after being sentenced to life imprisonment in 2019.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: El Chapo's Son Captured, Then Released During Shootout in Mexico - From CBS News
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