The son of notorious drug lord El Chapo was kidnapped in Mexico on Monday, and intelligence insiders say his abduction could indicate a major drug cartel war in the making.
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Guzman was the head of the Sinaloa cartel and one of the world’s most wanted drug kingpins until he was captured in January.
Seven armed men reportedly stormed the restaurant and separated the men in Guzman’s group from the nine women they were with.
Earlier it had been thought that a different son, Ivan Archivaldo, may have been the one who was kidnapped.
According to State Attorney General Eduardo Almaguer, four of the six kidnapped people had already been identified, but he did not provide further details.
Authorities believe Salazar’s kidnapping might be part of that aim. Rumors continued to swirl that Jesus Alfredo’s older brother, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman, was also abducted.
Initial reports suggest that CJNG operatives ambushed and kidnapped high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel while they were celebrating a night out.
“A person by the name of Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, 29-years-old, is the son of Joaquin Guzman Loera”.
The Mexican army, federal police, state police and the country’s prosecution office have all joined the search to locate the missing men and their kidnappers. “I can only confirm the presence of Jesus Alfredo”, Almaguer told Radio Formula.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, local police discovered multiple vehicles presumed to belong to the abductees.
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A senior Mexican law enforcement says police are now searching for the kidnapped men in Michoacán, Nayarit, Jalisco and a fourth state he did not name. He is awaiting extradition to the United States on numerous drug smuggling charges. “El Chapo” purportedly ran affairs from prison until his second escape in 2015, but since being recaptured has been kept under stricter security measures and is now in prison in the northern border city of Juarez.
