Location of El Chapo's Son Ovidio Guzman Lopez Revealed After Mexico's Defense Ministry Intercepts Communication Between Sinaloa Cartel Members
Army officials in Mexico believe that they have the possible location of Ovidio Guzman Lopez, the son of Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, after they intercepted communications between members of the said cartel.
According to Borderland Beat, documents leaked by "Guacamaya" hackers revealed that Mexico's Ministry of Defense (SEDENA), with the help of U.S. authorities, intercepted radio conversations between members of the Sinaloa Cartel, who spoke about El Chapo's son.
In the conversations, Ovidio was referred to as "the Old Man" and "the Mouse." Members of the Sinaloa Cartel located in the Sierra de Sinaloa were discussing setting up a meeting with El Chapo's son. At first, the radio voice, identified only as "UIM1," asked for "the Old Man," to which "UIM2" replied that he would talk to his boss to see if they could meet.
The SEDENA documents revealed that the location of the Sinaloa Cartel members in the conversations exercised control over the Sierra de Sinaloa, where Ovidio could also reportedly be found. A second intercepted communication on August 9 noted that one of the persons taking part in the conversation endorsed his loyalty to his boss.
The leaked documents showed that "UIM1" told "UIM2" that he and the boss "El Raton" had his loyalty. Ovidio has been commonly known as "El Raton" or "El Nuevo Raton" for years.
New Details to Capture El Chapo's Son, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, Emerge After Hackers Accessed Mexico's Defense Ministry Data
A group of hackers, calling themselves "Guacamaya," managed to gain access to Mexico's Ministry of Defense data. They managed to steal at least six terabytes of files from SEDENA's servers, which included confidential emails, documents, and videos.
Some of the confidential documents revealed new details about the operation known as "Culiacanazo," which was an operation to capture 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. The Army managed to capture Ovidio, but members of the Sinaloa Cartel loyal to El Chapo's sons 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 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, the president reportedly "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 President 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, which led to his administration's embarrassment as Sinaloa Cartel forces overwhelmed Mexican authorities.
The president previously said that he ordered the release of El Chapo's son to protect the citizens caught in the crossfire between government forces and the Sinaloa Cartel.
Rewards for Capture of 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.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez, Joaquin 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 noted that 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.
READ MORE: El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel Continues to Thrive Despite the Drug Lord's Absence: Report
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: El Chapo's Son Captured, Then Released During Shootout in Mexico - From CBS News
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