El Chapo's son has been captured in Sinaloa in Mexican military operation: report

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Ovidio Guzmán, the son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán and leader of the Los Chapitos, has been arrested by Mexican authorities in Sinaloa, sources tell Fox News Digital.

The arrest took place in the town of Jesús María by elements of the Mexican National Guard, the Secretary of National Defense (SEDENA) and the Secretary of the Navy (SEMAR). Residents of the city woke to gunfire as government forces fought with local cartel forces.

Footage circulating on social media purported to show a convoy of cartel vehicles moving to disrupt Guzmán's arrest.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed that there had been a military operation in Sinaloa, but declined to offer details.

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This Oct. 17, 2019, frame grab from video provided by the Mexican government shows Ovidio Guzmán at the moment of his detention in Culiacan, Mexico. (CEPROPIE via AP)

"We do not know how the events are in Sinaloa. There is an operation that began at dawn, and later we will inform you about it," Obrador said Thursday.

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Mexican authorities previously detained Guzmán in 2019, but quickly released him to avoid a massive confrontation with cartel forces.

The 2019 incident saw Mexico's president order a retreat of his forces following an assault from the cartels. At least eight people were killed in that incident.

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán, the head of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, is escorted to a helicopter in Mexico City following his capture in the beach resort town of Mazatlan in 2014. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)

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Guzmán remains a high-level member of the Sinaloa Cartel. In December 2021, the U.S. government offered a reward of $5 million to anyone who offered information to arrest the sons of El Chapo — Ovidio, Iván, Jesús, Alfredo and Joaquín Guzmán — as they are considered leaders of a faction within the Sinaloa Cartel.