The United States on Tuesday targeted two Mexican companies, along with two Mexican men, for what it said was their role in assisting the infamous Sinaloa Cartel associated with drug lords Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
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It was thought that another of Guzman’s sons, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman, may have been among the group of men who were marched out of the restaurant.
The Jalisco State attorney general’s office says forensic evidence found in a vehicle at the parking lot of the restaurant confirms that Jesus Alfredo Guzman was abducted. Jalisco state prosecutor Eduardo Almaguer said in a news conference that preliminary results of the investigation indicate that all involved, kidnappers and kidnapped, were members of criminal organizations. This has been verified through what was found in the vehicles and information compared from the various security agencies and experts’ reports from the investigations that took place.
Earlier in the day, Almaguer had said authorities were trying to confirm whether another Guzman son, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman, was among those abducted.
Local officials say the victims had travelled from neighbouring states for a celebration in the upscale restaurant.
The elder Guzman is the jailed boss of the powerful Sinaloa cartel and one of the most notorious drug lords in the world. They separated the nine women to one side and took away the seven men, one of whom apparently escaped, he said.
Authorities have not heard of a ransom demand, or any tips about where the kidnapped men might be located, the AP writes.
“There is a war right now for control of the Sinaloa cartel and a central theme in that war is the issue of attacks on his family”, said Raul Benitez, a security specialist who teaches political science at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
The U.S. Treasury Department formally identified Juan Manuel Alvarez Inzunza, whom it said was a money launderer, and Jose Olivas Chaidez, whom it said was a distributor, as specially designated narcotics traffickers for their role aiding the cartel.
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“Almaguer said one of the men managed to escape”.
