Ovidio Guzman-Lopez Wiki, Biography
The son of former Mexican drug lord El Chapo, Ovidio Guzmán-López, was recently arrested in Culiacán and transferred to Mexico City. A Mexican federal government source told CNN that Guzmán’s arrest was part of a dramatic operation in Sinaloa.
A video of Guzmán’s arrest went viral online showing him turning himself in to Mexican security forces as riots gripped the streets of Mexico. In the footage, officials can be seen ordering Guzmán to make a phone call to a cartel associate asking the rioters to leave.
According to the BBC, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval announced that Guzmán was accused of leading part of his father’s infamous Sinaloa Cartel El Chapo, one of the world’s largest drug trafficking organizations.
Sandoval also mentioned that US officials supported the six-month surveillance operation that led to Guzmán’s capture. Before his arrest, the US State Department described Guzmán as a “high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel.”
The State Department was also offering a $5 million reward for information that could lead to Guzmán’s capture. He also mentioned that Guzmán and his brother Joaquín “inherited a large part of the narcotics profits” after the death of another brother named Edgar.
The department added that the brothers allegedly began “investing large amounts of cash” to purchase cocaine and marijuana in Mexico and Colombia. They also began buying large quantities of ephedrine from Argentina, often smuggling the product into Mexico.
The brothers are also accused of experimenting with methamphetamine production and allegedly overseeing some 11 “meth laboratories in the state of Sinaloa.”
Federal authorities previously arrested Ovidio Guzmán-López in October 2019. However, he was released on the orders of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to prevent nationwide bloodshed.
The arrest of the son of El Chapo sparks riots throughout Mexico
When the news of the arrest of El Chapo’s son, Ovidio Guzmán-López, came to light, chaos broke out throughout Mexico, especially in the city of Culiacán. Angry gang members reportedly blocked roads, torched cars and seized a local airport, according to the BBC.
Two flights were allegedly hit by gunfire and more than 100 flights were canceled at three Sinaloa airports. Videos on social media showed passengers ducking for cover on an Aeroméxico flight that was struck by a bullet.
The airline confirmed that no individuals were injured in the shooting, but canceled all its operations to and from the Sinaloan cities of Culiacán, Los Mochis and Mazatlán. Images also showed vehicles on fire and buses on fire blocking the city’s roads.
The Secretary of Public Security of Sinaloa, Cristóbal Castañeda, also confirmed that looting of vehicles and blockades were taking place in different parts of the city and asked the population not to leave the city.
The Secretary of Education announced that school and administrative activities in Culiacán were suspended amid the riots. He also urged people in risk areas to take refuge in a safe place. The state governor also shared that almost 18 people were hospitalized in the aftermath of the chaos.
How many children does El Chapo have?
El Chapo is believed to have had several children through multiple marriages and relationships. He married his first wife Alejandrina María Salazar Hernández in 1977. The couple had three children together, César, Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo.
Salazar and El Chapo allegedly also shared his daughter Alejandrina Gisselle. Chapo’s second wife was the bank employee Estela Peña. He allegedly fell in love with Peña, kidnapped her, and eventually married her.
However, it is not known if the couple had any children together. El Chapo’s third marriage was to Griselda López Pérez. Pérez and El Chapo had four children together, Edgar Guzmán López, Joaquín Jr., Ovidio Guzmán-López and Griselda Guadalupe. El Chapo married 18-year-old American beauty queen Emma Coronel Aispuro in November 2007. The couple welcomed twin girls, Emali Guadalupe and María Joaquina.
The California woman, Rosa Isela Guzmán Ortiz, is also believed to be El Chapo’s daughter according to her mother’s claims about the drug lord’s affair with a woman in Jalisco. Kim Guzman Dolci and Laisha Guzman are also allegedly Chapo’s daughters from his extramarital affairs.
El Chapo was convicted in 2019 and charged with 10 counts, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, drug trafficking and firearms charges. He was sentenced to life in prison and given an additional 30 years as well as ordered to pay $12.6 billion in forfeiture.
