Battle of Culiacán

The Battle of Culiacán,^[3][4] also known locally as the Culiacanazo^[5] and Black Thursday,^[6] was a failed attempt to capture Ovidio Guzmán López, son of Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, who was wanted in the United States for drug trafficking.

Battle of Culiacán
Part of the Mexican Drug War
Culiacán the day after the battle.
Date 17 October 2019 Location Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico Result Sinaloa Cartel victory Ovidio Guzmán released 8000 federal troops sent to Culiacán
Belligerents
Mexico	Sinaloa Cartel
Commanders and leaders
Andrés Manuel López Obrador Luis Cresencio Sandoval Alfonso Durazo Montaño	Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas
Units involved
Mexican Armed Forces Mexican Army Special Forces Corps Mexican National Guard Sinaloa State Police	Sinaloa Cartel factions Los Chapitos (a.k.a. Gente Nueva) Los Ninis
Strength
350[1]	700–800[1]
Casualties and losses
2 killed	8 killed
4 civilians killed, 21 injured[2]

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Arrest

On 17 October 2019, a convoy consisting of 35 police officers and soldiers drove up to Ovidio's house in the Tres Ríos neighborhood of Culiacán, Sinaloa.^[7] Initial government reports claimed that this convoy was doing a routine patrol of the area at the time and only approached the house after being fired upon,^[8][9] but after the battle, authorities admitted that the arrest was a pre-planned military operation done in response to a U.S. extradition request.^[10][11] Four people, including Ovidio, were found inside at 3:00 PM local time.^[7]

Battle

Around 700 cartel gunmen began to attack civilian, government and military targets around the city,^[1] despite orders from Ovidio sent at security forces' request.^[10] Massive towers of smoke could be seen rising from burning cars and vehicles. The cartels were well-equipped, with improvised armored vehicles, bulletproof vests, .50 caliber (12.7 mm) rifles, rocket launchers, grenade launchers and heavy machine guns.^[8]

56 prisoners in the city's prison rioted, took weapons from guards, and escaped in what The Daily Beast said "appeared to be a planned attack".^[12][13]

In the end, Ovidio was released after the cartel took eight servicemen as hostages,^[14] including one captured from local barracks in front of his children.^[15]

Aftermath

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador defended the decision to release Ovidio, arguing it prevented further loss of life,^[9] insisting that he wanted to pacify the country and did not want more massacres,^[16] and arguing that the capture of one drug smuggler could not be more valuable than the lives of innocent civilians.^[17] While admitting that the security forces underestimated the Cartel's manpower and ability to respond,^[18] López Obrador also clarified that criminal processes against Ovidio were still ongoing,^[19] sending 8,000 troops and police reinforcements to restore peace in Culiacán.^[1]

Police officer Eduardo Triana Sandoval was ambushed at a strip mall and assassinated on 8 November 2019.^[20] Many media outlets claimed that he took part in Ovidio's arrest,^[21][22][23] however Cristóbal Castañeda Camarillo, head of Sinaloa State Police, stated he only took part in subsequent "containment actions".^[24]

Following another operation in Culiacán on 5 January 2023, Guzmán López was successfully recaptured by Mexican authorities and transferred to a maximum security prison in Almoloya de Juárez, resulting in the 2023 Sinaloa unrest.^[25][26]

24°48′25″N 107°23′38″W

References

1. "Y la entidad, con al menos 8,000 soldados, policías y de la GN" [And the entity, with at least 8,000 soldiers, police and the GN]. El Economista (in Spanish). 20 October 2019. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
2. Vizcarra, Marcos (21 October 2019). "Suman 14 muertos por balaceras en Culiacán" [There are 14 dead in shootings in Culiacán]. Reforma (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
3. "Mexico's Drug War: The Battle of Culiacán". Time. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
4. Castañeda, Jorge G. (23 October 2019). "Opinion: The Bigger Story Behind the Humiliating Release of El Chapo's Son". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019. The battle of Culiacán illustrates that the Sinaloa cartel is no weaker today than before the war on drugs began. [...] Days before the battle of Culiacán, 14 policemen were massacred in the town of Aguililla, in the state of Michoacán [...]
5. Díaz, Arturo Ordaz (17 October 2020). "'Culiacanazo', la batalla que ganó el crimen organizado a las fuerzas federales de AMLO" ['Culiacanazo', the battle that organized crime won against AMLO's federal forces]. Forbes México (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 March 2024.
6. Serrano, Gladys; Hernández, César; Mercado, Dulce (25 October 2021). "Las voces del 'jueves negro' en Culiacán" [The voices of 'Black Thursday' in Culiacán]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 March 2024.
7. "Historia de un desastre: el operativo que capturó al hijo de El Chapo y se vio obligado a liberarle" [Story of a disaster: the operation that captured El Chapo's son and was forced to release him]. El País (in Spanish). 18 October 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
8. "Weapons used by Sinaloa Cartel sicarios in Culiacán, Mexico". The Hoplite. Armament Research Services. 18 October 2019. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
9. "El Chapo: Mexican president says police 'did right' to free drug lord's son". BBC News. 18 October 2019. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
10. Francis, Enjoli; Radia, Kirit (30 October 2019). "Mexico releases video showing moment military faced El Chapo's son amid deadly violence". ABC News. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
11. Gallón, Natalie; Hanna, Jason; Regan, Helen (18 October 2019). "Son of 'El Chapo' was caught during a massive shootout. Mexican officials say they released him to save lives". CNN. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
12. Latza Nadeau, Barbie (19 October 2019). "Eight Dead, Prisoners Escape in Botched Attempt to Arrest El Chapo's Son". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
13. Villarreal, Andrés; Orsi, Peter (18 October 2019). "Failed raid against El Chapo's son leaves 8 dead in Mexico, more than 20 wounded". El Paso Times. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
14. Linthicum, Kate (18 October 2019). "Eight killed in Mexico as cartel gunmen force authorities to release El Chapo's son". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
15. "Durante operativo en Culiacán, sicarios atacaron unidad habitacional militar" [During operation in Culiacán, hitmen attacked military housing unit]. Uno TV (in Spanish). 30 October 2019. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
16. Rodríguez García, Arturo (14 October 2019). "Trabajamos para pacificar el país sin guerra, exterminios ni masacres, dice AMLO" [We work to pacify the country without war, extermination or massacres, says AMLO]. Proceso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
17. "No vale más captura que vida de personas-AMLO" [Capture is not worth more than life of people-AMLO]. Reforma (in Spanish). 18 October 2019. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
18. "Soldados de luto, mexicanos divididos por la decisión de AMLO de liberar al hijo de 'El Chapo'" [Mourning soldiers, Mexicans divided by AMLO's decision to free the son of 'El Chapo']. Chicago Tribune (in Spanish). Associated Press. 21 October 2019. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
19. Ponce, Jannet López (31 October 2019). "AMLO dice que sigue orden de extradición contra Ovidio Guzmán; "no se cancela"" [AMLO says extradition order against Ovidio Guzmán continues; "it is not canceled"]. Milenio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
20. Baldenea, Jesús (31 October 2023). "Así fue el trágico final de Eduardo Triana Sandoval, el policía que trabajó en la primera detención de Ovidio Guzmán" [This was the tragic end of Eduardo Triana Sandoval, the police officer who worked on the first arrest of Ovidio Guzmán]. Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 March 2024.
21. "Police officer who arrested El Chapo's son killed". The Independent. 8 November 2019. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022.
22. Sakelaris, Nicholas (8 November 2019). "Gunmen kill Mexican police officer linked to arrest of 'El Chapo' son". United Press International. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
23. Lockyer, Chris (8 November 2019). "El Chapo: Police officer who arrested drug lord's son killed in hail of 155 bullets". Sky News. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
24. Cabrera Martínez, Javier (6 November 2019). "Descartan que policía asesinado en Culiacán participó en operativo contra Ovidio Guzmán" [They rule out that a police officer murdered in Culiacán participated in an operation against Ovidio Guzmán]. El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 March 2024.
25. Ramírez, Ne (5 January 2023). "Ovidio Guzmán llega a penal del Altiplano tras 12 horas de su detención en Culiacán" [Ovidio Guzmán arrives at the Altiplano prison after 12 hours of his arrest in Culiacán]. Excélsior (in Spanish).
26. Kitroeff, Natalie; Fisher, Steve (5 January 2023). "El Chapo's Son Is Captured by Mexican Authorities for 2nd Time". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 January 2023.