The capture of the son of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in northern Mexico left 29 dead, including 10 members of the country’s military, just days before U.S. President Joe Biden is set to visit the nation.
Violence persisted through the night in the city of Culiacan following Thursday’s arrest of Ovidio Guzman, considered one of the leaders of the Sinaloa cartel that allegedly fuels narcotics into the U.S., Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said on Friday. He confirmed the death toll but said no civilians were killed.
While Guzman’s arrest could show President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s commitment to fighting drug trafficking across the border with the U.S., it could also backfire if violence escalates in Sinaloa, or if it spreads into other states.
The arrest potentially “defuses the power behind any ask from the Biden administration to stem the tide of fentanyl and other narcotics across the border,” said Syracuse University Professor Gladys McCormick, who researches U.S.-Mexico relations and drug trafficking.
Yet she didn’t rule out an escalation of violence coinciding with Biden’s visit for the “Three Amigos” summit that will also bring Canada’s Justin Trudeau to Mexico City next week. Back in 2019, Mexico arrested Guzman at the request of the U.S. just to release him days later as the situation in Culiacan got out of control.
Read More: ‘El Chapo’ Son Held in Mexico Drug Case as Violence Engulfs City
The U.S. hasn’t requested extra security for the summit, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Friday, despite the violence that followed Guzman’s arrest, including shootings, road blockades, looting and even a commercial airliner taking gunfire.
The flow of drugs from Mexico, especially fentanyl, is among the topics expected to be discussed during the summit and Guzman’s arrest may give the president known as AMLO leverage in negotiations with Biden. In a sign that Mexico is ready to use Guzman as a bargaining chip, AMLO said his extradition won’t be fast tracked as it needs to follow due judicial process.
