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Son of drug lord 'El Chapo' Guzman at center of gunfight in Mexico

Posted at 10:35 AM, Oct 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-18 10:36:19-04

An intense gunfight with heavy weapons raged in the Mexican city of Culiacán on Thursday, after security forces located one of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán's sons who is wanted in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges.

Mexican Security Secretary Alfonso Durazo said 30 members of the National Guard and army were patrolling in the capital of Mexico's Sinaloa state when they were fired on from a house.

They repelled the attack and found Ovidio Guzmán López inside the house.

Durazo said the house was then surrounded by heavily armed gunmen who had "a greater force" and authorities decided to suspend the operation.

He did not say if Ovidio Guzmán was arrested or went free after being located.

Ovidio is not one of the jailed Mexican drug lord's best-known sons - Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán who are known as "los Chapitos," or "the little Chapos."

They are believed to be currently running their father's Sinaloa Cartel together with Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

Ovidio Guzmán was indicted by a grand jury in Washington, along with a fourth brother, in 2018 for the alleged trafficking of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.

Following Thursday's localisation of Ovidio, local media reported that armed civilians in trucks roared through Culiacán's centre shooting what appeared to be .50-caliber sniper rifles and machine guns.

There was a heavy deployment of Mexican security forces.