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El Chapo's son presumed kidnapped with six other men at Mexico resort El Chapo's son among six men kidnapped at Mexico resort restaurant
(about 4 hours later)
The son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán may be among the half-dozen men abducted by a squad of gunmen at a restaurant in the Mexican beach resort of Puerto Vallarta, according to authorities. The son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán may be among a group men hauled at gunpoint from a restaurant in the Mexican beach resort of Puerto Vallarta, authorities have said, in a further sign that the power of the imprisoned drug lord may be waning.
Authorities in the western state of Jalisco, where Puerto Vallarta is located, earlier said that 10 to 12 men had been kidnapped from the upscale restaurant, based on the confused nature of the evidence at the crime scene. Some women who were with the abducted men at the restaurant weren’t taken, and one person who had been dining with the group left just moments before the abduction. Officials in the western state of Jalisco, where Puerto Vallarta is located, originally said that as many as 12 men had been seized early on Monday morning, but prosecutors later clarified that just six men had been abducted during a celebration at the La Leche restaurant on the city’s main boulevard.
But prosecutors later clarified in a statement that six men were abducted by a squad of seven armed assailants.
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Jalisco attorney general Eduardo Almaguer told Radio Formula that “it is presumed”, though not yet certain, that Ivan Archivaldo Guzmán was among the kidnapped men. Jalisco attorney general Eduardo Almaguer told Radio Formula that “it is presumed” that the victims included El Chapo’s eldest son, Ivan Archivaldo Guzmán.
Experts say Guzmán assumed control of parts of his father’s business after he was re-arrested in January. Investigators were still examining the scene in at attempt to identify the kidnappers and the victims – several of whom were traveling under false identities, Almaguer said. Five vehicles were abandoned at the restaurant, among them one with Jalisco license plates but a false registration.
Authorities have been taking fingerprints from the scene, viewing video images and checking identifications related to five vehicles – some luxury models – left behind by the victims at the restaurant. He said the abduction was the work of a “criminal group” that operates in the area. Almaguer would not identify the gang by name, but the largest faction operating in the state is the Jalisco New Generation cartel, a relatively new criminal organisation which has has grown to become one of the biggest players in the country’s drug wars.
Almaguer said “several of them (the victims) had false identities”, which complicated efforts to determine who they were. If confirmed, the kidnapping of El Chapo’s son could mark a major shift in the structure of the underworld, as rivals squabble over a leaderless criminal empire reputedly responsible for smuggling tons of cocaine, marijuana and heroin into the US and around the world.
He said the abduction was the work of a “criminal group” that operates in the area, and while he would not identify the gang by name, the largest group operating in the state is the Jalisco New Generation cartel. Until recently, such a brazen challenge to Guzmán’s authority would have been unthinkable, said Adrian López, editor of El Noreoeste newspaper in El Chapo’s home state of Sinaloa.
The Jalisco cartel has grown quickly to rival El Chapo’s Sinaloa cartel as the most powerful of Mexico’s drug gangs. “His enemies are taking advantage of his distraction with extradition and his weakness. After his third arrest, he has been weakened even more. It seems like he employed a lot of resources in the last escape,” said López.
Experts say there could be other reasons why someone would want to kidnap the younger Guzmán. Ivan Archivaldo Guzmán had reportedly been running roughshod over allies in his father’s business. Guzmán is currently being held in a prison in the border city of Ciudad Juárez awaiting extradition to the US follow his recapture in January.
Meanwhile, the city’s tourism promoters scrambled to reassure tourists that the kidnapping was an isolated incident and that activities for visitors continued without interruption. Until then, his two escapes from maximum security prisons and his ability to evade recapture had underlined El Chapo’s apparently limitless power and influence in Mexico – but he is under pressure both from legal authorities and from his drug-trafficking rivals. His lawyers have said he is kept under constant guard to prevent a third escape.
Almaguer told a news conference Monday that the victims “were not tourists or residents who work in legal activities ... they were people tied to a criminal group we can very clearly presume”. The possible abduction of his eldest son comes just two months after armed men ransacked the Sinaloa home of Guzman’s elderly mother Consuelo Loera Guzmán – another provocation which would once have been considered impossible.
Almaguer said two SUVs carrying five gunmen arrived around 1am at La Leche restaurant on Puerto Vallarta’s main boulevard, which runs through the hotel zone lying between the old beach city and the airport. Some analysts blamed that attack on Guzmán’s erstwhile allies, the Beltrán Leyva cartel, which was seeking revenge for the 2008 betrayal and death of one its leaders, Alfredo Beltrán.
He said some of those abducted had been vacationing in Puerto Vallarta for a week and the group that was targeted appeared to be celebrating, according to other people in the restaurant. Authorities found lots of drinks and luxury items inside the restaurant. Five vehicles were abandoned at the restaurant, among them one with Jalisco license plates but a false registration.
Related: Home of El Chapo's mother looted as locals flee drug lord's hometownRelated: Home of El Chapo's mother looted as locals flee drug lord's hometown
Alejandro Hope, a Mexico City-based security analyst, said that while Jalisco New Generation controls the area, it would be possible for another group to enter the city. Meanwhile, Guzmán’s son is believed to have contributed to the instability, by clashing with other members of the Sinalao cartel’s remaining leadership, including the veteran kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Hope also called it odd that a group of alleged cartel members would be taken without a shot being fired. Since Guzman’s arrest in January, hundreds have been forced to flee spiraling violence in Sinaloa state, and López warned that the apparent abduction of his son could make matters worse.
“It’s a bit surprising that in effect they were drug traffickers but didn’t have any security,” Hope said. “Without doubt, it’s bad news for security conditions in Sinaloa and the northeast of the country,” he said.
Jalisco governor Aristoteles Sandoval said on his official Twitter account that such violence would not be tolerated. Iván Archivaldo was briefly mentioned in Sean Penn’s sprawling account of his meeting with Guzmán which took place shortly before the capo’s arrest.
“To the residents and tourists of Puerto Vallarta, I inform you that we have reinforced security so that you can go on as usual,” Sandoval wrote. “At 32, he is considered the heir to the Sinaloa cartel. He’s attentive with a calm maturity,” Penn wrote.
The younger Guzmán is identified as a suspect in the 2004 murder of a Canadian exchange student, who was ambushed as she left a Guadalajara-area nightclub. A 2005 psychological evaluation found the younger Guzmán showed “probable psychological violence toward persons that he does not consider on his socio-economic level”.
Ivan Archivaldo and his peers, known as narco-juniors, belong to a generation of crime figures who have grown up accustomed to exaggerated displays of wealth, unlike their forebears – such as El Chapo – who often came from humble backgrounds.
A Twitter account with his name has attracted 127,000 followers and features a cover photo of sports cars parked in a garage, though its authenticity is not verified.
This story includes some material from the Associated Press