美国国家公共电台 NPR Massive Gun Battle Erupts In Mexico Over Son Of Drug Kingpin 'El Chapo'

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Mexican security forces are facing criticism for freeing the son of imprisoned¹ drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. They let him go after cartel hitmen led an hours-long siege on the capital of Sinaloa state. Critics say the government is giving the green light to drug traffickers operating in Mexico. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports.

CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE²: Authorities say they were trying to capture one of "Chapo" Guzman's sons in the city of Culiacan yesterday. When some 30 officers arrived at a house in an upscale neighborhood to execute an arrest warrant, they came under fire. Eventually, the troops were able to enter the house and capture Guzman's son, 28-year-old Ovidio Guzman Lopez. But soon after, cartel reinforcements arrived, and the federal forces were quickly outnumbered. Head of Mexico's public security ministry³ Alfonso Durazo says the officers did not prepare enough for the operation.

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ALFONSO DURAZO: (Speaking Spanish).

KAHN: "To take what happened and to conclude that the Mexican state has failed or the system failed is wrong. What failed was the operation," he says. Military officials at a press conference in Sinaloa say the federal forces, many members of the newly formed National Guard, went in to capture the younger Guzman without approval from their superiors or sufficient backup. Not only did the cartel send in reinforcements to rescue Ovidio Guzman, the gunmen unleashed⁴ hours of terror and firepower on the capital city of nearly a million people.

Heavily armed gunmen sent a barrage⁵ of bullets down major thoroughfares, sending residents fleeing for cover. Vehicles were set on fire at strategic points in the city to prevent military reinforcements from arriving. And one video circulating on social media showed a man operating a .50 caliber⁶ machine gun mounted in the back of a truck. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says, with such violence raging throughout the city and federal forces outgunned, the military troops did what they had to to reduce the risk of more bloodshed. They let Guzman go. The capture of one criminal cannot be worth more than the lives of people, he says.

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PRESIDENT ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR: (Speaking Spanish).

KAHN: "We have no doubt that this was the best decision," says Lopez Obrador. The president, too, dismissed criticism of the military's handling of Guzman's capture. Lopez Obrador has long stated his opposition⁷ to combating drug trafficking with a strong military force. He says, instead, the root causes of violence must be tackled - wiping out corruption⁸ and alleviating⁹ poverty. He says he believes in hugs not bullets.

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LOPEZ OBRADOR: (Speaking Spanish).

KAHN: "The use of force, violence, massacres¹⁰ hasn't brought results," he says, "and we're not going to change our policy." And he calls his critics conservatives and enemies. Mexico's murder rate has hit historic levels. The homicide rate is on track to top last year's with more than 30,000 killed. Carlos Bravo Regidor, a Mexico City-based political analyst¹¹, says the president is in denial and needs to deal with this unprecedented¹² violence.

CARLOS BRAVO REGIDOR: The president seems to believe that a long-term solution is enough to deal with an urgent, immediate¹³ problem. He has no policy to deal with the emergency that we're dealing¹⁴ with today.

KAHN: It's unclear where Ovidio Guzman Lopez is now. A family lawyer has told local media he's safe and with his family. The U.S. wants him, however, to stand trial. Early this year, an indictment¹⁵ was unsealed in Washington charging Guzman with cocaine¹⁶ and methamphetamine trafficking.

Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Mexico City.

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