“At this moment, we have identified four of the kidnapped”, Almaguer said, “one of them being Jesus Alfredo Guzman”.
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The Sinaloa cartel, sometimes referred to by Mexican officials as the Pacific cartel, is the oldest drug cartel in Mexico.
At least three of the others who were kidnapped are said to have ties with organized crime.
In a statement to NBC News, Jalisco state Attorney General Eduardo Almaguer confirmed the kidnapping took place at the La Leche restaurant in the city’s hotel district.
Police are confident that investigations will uncover the identity of the suspects behind the kidnapping. “Ivan Archivaldo was, I believe, a bit insane”, Benitez said.
The U.S. Treasury Department froze Jesus Alfredo’s assets in the country in June 2012 and banned U.S. citizens from doing business or carrying out transactions with him, under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, known as the Kingpin Act.
Mexican journalist Denise Maerker also shared a picture of Alfredo Guzman with Kate del Castillo, the superstar actress who negotiated Sean Penn’s meeting with El Chapo and now faces obstruction of justice charges from the Mexican government.
Authorities fear the mass abduction of Sinaloa Cartel members will make the ongoing war between the drug gangs even deadlier. However, prosecutors later clarified 6 people had been abducted, including El Chapo’s son, writes the Guardian.
Ivan Archivaldo is in his 30s.
A message was posted Twitter Tuesday afternoon from an account believed to pertain to Ivan Archivaldo Guzman. Mexican officials confirmed that the images, taken from a security camera inside the restaurant, are real.
Jalisco’s Attorney General had also said Archivaldo was among those kidnapped, though he eventually backpedaled on the claim.
“We want to stress that there is a very clear presumption that this had to do with a criminal group, it didn’t involve tourists or citizens who were involved in legitimate activities”, Almaguer said at a news conference.
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El Chapo is behind bars in a Juarez, Mexico, prison as his attorneys fight efforts to extradite him to the United States.
