Mexican authorities announced Thursday that there had been attacks on military personnel and roads had been blocked by vehicles in the northern state of Sinaloa.
State police said the violence broke out in an area just north of the state capital, Culiacán. The state is home to the drug cartel of the same name, and similar violence has broken out in the past whenever a cartel leader has been arrested.
Federal authorities, however, said they had no immediate information about such an arrest.
Local media showed images of burning vehicles blocking roads.
“We are aware that military personnel have been attacked,” the Sinaloa state police wrote on its social media accounts. “We also know that roads have been blocked by vehicles.”
State Governor Rubén Rocha wrote that the attackers set fire to two vehicles “with the aim of blocking the authorities.” He called for calm, but did not specify the motives for the attack or whether there were any casualties.
Roadblocks were later reported in another district where Ovidio Guzman, the son of a jailed drug lord, is located. Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmanwas arrested in January 2023 before being extradited to the United States.
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Local media have broadcast videos and photos of the burning vehicles. Mexican cartels often use this tactic to prevent police or military personnel from reaching an area.
In another social media post, police said authorities removed vehicles from a highway near the community of Limón de Los Ramos.
Despite the chaos, Sinaloa’s secretary of public education issued a statement Thursday night saying classes would continue as scheduled on Friday.
Cartel leaders arrested in US
Fears have been raised about a possible outbreak of violence in Sinaloa following the recent detentions of top Sinaloa cartel leaders in the United States.
End of July, Joaquin Guzman Lopezone of El Chapo’s sons, Apparently Kidnapped Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada – an old drug lord from a rival faction of the cartel – forcing him onto the plane and flying it north.
Young Guzmán had apparently planned to surrender and had taken Father Zambada with him for unknown reasons.
Earlier this month, federal prosecutors issued a statement claiming that “an arrest warrant has been prepared” against Guzmán for kidnapping.
Mexico’s state prosecutor’s office on Thursday urged U.S. authorities to “urgently” clarify the legal status and whereabouts of Ovidio Guzman, suggesting his case was linked to the Zambada kidnapping.
He said in a statement that Ovidio Guzman was released from prison in the United States on July 23, two days before the arrest of his brother and Zambada.
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said on July 26 that Ovidio Guzman remains in U.S. custody, without providing further details on his whereabouts.
Experts, including former US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Mike Vigil, suspect Guzman Lopez gave up Zambada in exchange for benefits for himself and his brother Ovidio.
Zambada appeared in a Texas courtroom this month in a wheelchair and pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder.
Guzman Lopez was transferred to Chicago where he denied drug trafficking charges.
Only one of El Chapo’s sons accused of having links to the cartel remains at large: Ivan Archivaldo.
The United States has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
AFP contributed to this report.
