Why the arrest of El Chapo's son caused a rampage of violence in a Mexican city

The arrest of Ovidio Guzman,the son of jailed drug lordJoaquin "El Chapo" Guzman,has sparked a rampage of violence in the northwestern Mexican city of Culiacan, led bymembers of hisSinaloadrug cartel.

Gunfire has erupted, vehicles have been torched androads blockedwhile cartel members clashwith security forces. Sofar, at least 10 military personnel and 19 suspected members of the Sinaloa drug cartel have been killed.

The violence has prompted government authorities to warn residents to stay indoors. The Culiacan and Mazatlan airports have been closed and all flights had been suspended at the Los Mochis airport until further notice, according to Canada's Global Affairs.The Canadian government is urging Canadians in Mexico's Sinaloa state to limit their movements and to shelter in place.

CBCNews explains what's causing the violence, and how it's impacting Canadians travelling in the area.

Where is the violence taking place?

The violence is centredin northwestern Mexico,in the state of Sinaloaspecifically the state capitalofCuliacan. This is about 1,200 kilometres northwest of Mexico City, andthe home base of the Sinaloa cartel.

How is the violenceaffecting Canadians in Mexico?

Canadians vacationing in resorts in that areasay they've been sheltering inside their hotels until the violence subsides.

On Thursday afternoon,Global Affairs Canada warned Canadians in Sinaloato take extra care, especially in the cities ofCuliacan, Mazatlan, Los Mochis and Guasave, and toldCanadians to avoid non-essential travel in those areas.

WATCH | How Canadians are managing the violence in Mexico:

Canadians in Mazatlan on impact of nearby violence

2 years ago

Duration 6:31

As the Canadian government encourages people travelling in Mexico to limit their movements in parts of the country due to an outbreak of cartel-related violence, two Canadians talk about how they're getting through this challenging situation.

Patrick Hayden, a Canadianwho is vacationing in Mazatlan, told CBC News that he was bit concerned mostly because of reports of trouble atthe nearby airport, where he had been scheduled to fly out on Friday.

"Also, where I'm staying is a very popular tourist destination and could be that we might be a target, but that doesn't look like that right now," he said.

"Today there is a lot of frustration and concern," about being able to leave, he said. "But at this point we mostly recognizethat it's reallyout of our hands, so we're just going to have to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best."

Who is Ovidio Guzman?

Guzman, 32, who goes by the nickname "The Mouse,"is the oldest son of El Chapo Mexico's most notorious drug lord. Guzman andhis brothers emerged as leaders of one of the four factions in the cartel following their father's arrest.

Juan Carlos Ayala, a Culiacan resident and Sinaloa University professor who studies the sociology of drug trafficking, told the Associated Press that Guzman was an obvious target since at least2019.

"Ovidio's fate had been decided. Moreover, he was identified as the biggest trafficker of fentanyl and the most visible Chapos leader."

According to the U.S. and Mexicangovernments, Guzman had assumed a growing role among his brothers in carrying on their father's business.

In December2021, the State Departmentannounceda $5 million US reward for information leading to the arrest of conviction of Guzman, who hasbeen charged in the U.S. with conspiracy to traffic cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States.

The State Department said Guzman oversees methamphetamine labs in Sinaloa responsible for producing 3,000 to 5,000 pounds (1,360 to 2,268 kilograms) of the drug per month.

He is currently being held in a Mexico Citymaximum security federal prison.

His father is serving a life-plus-30-yearssentence at a ColoradoSupermax security prison for a series of drug-related charges.

Wasn't Ovidio Guzmanarrested before?

Guzman wasdetained in 2019 but was quickly released by orders of Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obradorafterhundreds of cartel henchmen overwhelmed security forces in Culiacan.

Obrador later acknowledged he released Guzman to end the violent retribution.

Why hasthe cartel reacted this way?

Such a show of force is not new in Mexico, saidAnglica Durn-Martnez, an associateprofessor of political science at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. She is also an expert in political and criminal violence, drug trade and crime inLatin American politics.

"That's associated partially withall the changes the political and criminal landscape of Mexico has experienced over the past decade and a half," she said. "[It's]basically a situation of political fragmentation and criminal fragmentation which variesacross the states. But that creates a situation where criminal actors have become more blatant in their power."

Javier Osorio, an assistant professor at the school of government and public policy at the University of Arizona, who studies political and criminal violence in Latin American, said that around 20 years ago, cartels began acquiring high-powered military-grade weaponry.

That means they now havethe capacity to fight back,"especially when the government strikes a very high target like this one. They will let the government know that they can fight," he said.

How powerful is the Sinaloa cartel?

While other cartels have fragmented and lost their leader, or even dismantled,the Sinaloa cartel has managed to survive despite a lot of government effort to dismantle them,Osoriosaid.

In terms ofdrug-related activities, they control the Sinaloa corridor, which has traditionally been an opium-producing region. But over the last five years,the cartel has focused more on producing fentanyl, Osario said.

TheU.S. Drug Enforcement Administration considers the Sinaloacartel, along with the the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) to be responsible for most of the fentanyl inside the United Sates.

WATCH | Canadian government warns travellers to limit movement:

Federal government warns Canadians in Mexico to limit movement amid erupting violence

2 years ago

Duration 3:17

Canada's government is urging Canadians in Mexico's Sinaloa state to limit their movements and shelter in place amid an outbreak of violence in the country's northwest following the arrest of Ovidio Guzman, a 32-year-old senior member of the Sinaloa Cartel and a son of jailed kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.

Since the arrest of El Chapo, theSinaloacartel has been composed of fourkey factions, onethat includes El Chapo's brother and another that includes his four sons, known collectively as Los Chapitos, according toVanda Felbab-Brown,a senior fellowat the BrookingsInstitution, anonprofit public policy organization based in Washington.

Durn-Martnez said there aresectors of the population that support the Sinaloa cartel, "because they have received social support from themand that became more blatant in the past few years,like giving food or giving groceries to people or giving money or sponsoring parties."

But there are many people who are "absolutely tired" of the violence and of the reputation totheir city and state from the cartel, and oppose their actions, she said.

What impact will his arrest have on the cartel?

When El Chapo was arrested, the cartelseemed to have a very clear succession plan in place,Osoriosaid.

"He was arrested and the cartel remains consolidated. They did not fragment like many other cartels when they lose their leadership,"he said.

"If they will remain stable within and everybody stays loyal to the El Chapo legacy, thenthey're going to keep the cartel intact andwithout much infighting."

Durn-Martnezsaid it's difficult to predict what will happen next, asincarceration of a major criminal leader can potentially lead to more infighting inside the organization, and therefore, to more violence.

"I thinkwe may see some instability in the short term. Theorganization is, I think, a little bit more unstable internally than it was in the past," she said.

"Whether that will lead to the dismantlementof the Sinaloa cartel or of criminal organizations in Sinaloa,I think the answer is no."