Mexico erupts into all-out war as El Chapo’s cartel launches attack on ARMY over rumors his son ‘Chapito’ has been arrested

CHAOS has broken out in the notorious Mexican state of Sinaloa after rumors circulated that drug lord El Chapo’s son, “Chapito,” had been captured.

Members of the Sinaloa Cartel faced off against the military, blocking roads and highways on Thursday as buses and trucks went up in flames in the fighting.

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Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, one of El Chapo’s sons, has reportedly been arrested, but according to local sources, the Mexican Ministry of Defense said he is still at large.

But in the Sinaloa capital, Culiacan, violence flared as unfounded rumors circulated about his arrest.

The city was already struggling with tensions following the July arrest of drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquin Gozman Lopez — another of El Chapo’s sons.

The state has long been a stronghold of El Chapo, currently behind bars in the US, and his sons.

According to authorities in Sinaloa, a military patrol was attacked by gunmen on the outskirts of the city while roadblocks, known as narco-blockades, were set up.

They are often used by cartels to prevent police or military personnel from arriving on site.

Sinaloa police said on social media: “We are aware that military personnel have been the victims of an attack.

“We are also aware that roads are blocked by vehicles.”

Governor Rubén Rocha confirmed that two vehicles were set on fire “with the aim of blocking the authorities”.

Since then, shocking images have been circulating on social media.

One of the fragments showed a cloud of black smoke rising above a main road.

More images show a burning bus, illustrating a drug blockade.

Another view shows Mexican police officers engaged in a gunfight as they drive down a road.

There has never been any official confirmation of Ivan’s arrest, but Sinaloa has previously been plagued by chaos after successful attempts to arrest top cartel leaders.

In 2019, a fierce conflict broke out, the Battle of Culiacán, when authorities hunted for Ivan’s half-brother Ovidio Guzman Lopez.

A convoy of police and soldiers stormed Ovidio’s house, after which hundreds of cartel members caused chaos in the city. Smoke could also be seen billowing from burning vehicles.

Ovidio had to be released after the cartel captured eight Mexican soldiers as hostages.

But in 2023, he was captured again and sent to the US.

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The Chapitos

El Chapo has many sons.

The official number is 15, but there are rumors that there are 24 descendants of his.

Most of them are not in the cartel, but these are the ones involved in one of the most notorious operations in the world.

Ivan ArchivaldoIvan

Ivan is the eldest son of El Chapo at 39 and a key figure in Los Chapitos.

He is believed to be leading the battle to take power from former leaders of the Sinaloa cartel, some of whom are now rivals of the Chapitos.

He and his brother Jesus were briefly held hostage by the rival Jalisco New Generation cartel while their father was still running the business from prison in 2016.

Jesus Alfredo Guzmán

Jesus, 37, known as Alfredo or “Alfredillo,” is on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s most wanted list, the only one of Chapo’s children to have that status.

It is believed that he, along with his brother Ivan, leads part of the cartel.

Alfredo is known for his extravagant lifestyle and loves to party, challenging the authorities.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez

Ovidio and Ivan, nicknamed “El Ratón” (the Mouse), are considered key lieutenants in the Sinaloa Cartel by the U.S. Treasury Department.

An attempted arrest in Culiacán in 2019 ended in violence when the cartel opened fire on authorities in the streets and the Mexican government deemed the threat of violence against civilians too high.

The 2023 attempt resulted in another shooting, but he was extradited to the US, where he awaits trial.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez

Compared to his other brothers, Joaquín kept a relatively low profile, but in February 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice charged him, along with Ovidio, with trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana in the United States.

He was arrested in July together with El Mayo.

He is still held there, along with Joaquín and their infamous father.

The US is offering a huge reward of $10 million (£7.6 million) for information that can help them track down Ivan.

Joaquín was arrested along with El Mayo at the Santa Teresa International Jetport in Texas on July 25 and was taken into U.S. custody.

El Mayo, 76, led the cartel after El Chapo’s arrest.

The first had somehow managed to evade US authorities despite the fact that a bounty had been on his head since the 1990s.

He was one of Mexico’s most powerful drug traffickers and was accused of running a large-scale cocaine and fentanyl trafficking operation that smuggled drugs into the United States, Europe and elsewhere.

It is believed that Joaquin arrested El Mayo in a stunning manner.

The drug veteran thought he was going to view properties in Mexico before flying to the US, it was reported.

It was said that Joaquin wanted revenge after he blamed El Mayo for his father’s arrest in the hit 2019 film.

Who is El Chapo?

El Chapo is the former leader of the Sinoloa Cartel, one of the most notorious cartels the world has ever known.

He was considered the world’s most powerful drug trafficker until he was extradited to the US in 2017 and sentenced to life in prison.

Born in Sinaloa in 1957, he began his career in drug trafficking in the 1970s, smuggling drugs across the state and eventually into the US.

He rose to become head of logistics for Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, a top player from the 1980s.

After Felix’s arrest, El Chapo founded his own cartel, which he built into an empire.

He became known for using long tunnels to transport drugs into the US, including massive amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and heroin.

He has been captured and escaped from prison several times over the past two and a half decades, but is now incarcerated at the ADX Florence “supermax” prison in Colorado.

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