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The arrest of Ovidio Guzman, son of El Chapo has set off an intense conflict in the Mexico State of Sinaloa as the cartel issued a call to arms which resulted in 100s of gunman taking to the streets, blocking roads, and advancing on the Culiacan Airport where a gun battle between Mexico military forces and the cartel took place.
Aero Mexico flight 165 taking off and heading to Mexico City took direct gunfire, which had passengers and crew alike hugging the floor of the passenger compartment.
Guzman was eventually airlifted via Mexican Air Force transport which took off amidst heavy security from Sinaloa to Mexico City.
The Government of Sinaloa, the Governor of Sinaloa, and the US Consulate Hermosillo have all urged citizens to stay off the street and to shelter in place, at home. Extreme violence is expected to continue for the next few days as the Cartel seeks retribution for the arrest of Guzman, primarily within Culiacan.
Travelers contemplating travel to Sinaloa at this time should reconsider The airports at Culiacán, Los Mochis and Mazatlán were all ordered closed affecting travel.
The U.S. Department of State has Sinaloa as a “DO NOT TRAVEL” area, the events of the last 36 hours serve to emphasize why the state carries this warning. The United Kingdom has also issued an updated travel advisory.
The evening of 05 January the Sinaloa State Government advised that government offices would reopen with the exception of those offices in Culiacan.
We at Securely Travel are available should you be planning future travel to Mexico and wish to receive a “Travel Safety and Security Briefing.”
Authors:
Christopher Burgess is a writer, speaker and commentator on global security issues. He has appeared on CNN, BBC, I24, China News, Bloomberg, CBS, NBC, and ABC providing commentary and analysis. He is a former Senior Security Advisor to Cisco and served 30+ years within the CIA. He has lived and traveled abroad for more than 55 years. He is the founder of Securely Travel.
Barbara Schluetter is an experienced traveler, having lived and traveled abroad for more than 20 years. She has resided in Germany, Canada, and the United States with her family of six children and a spouse who was a German Luftwaffe officer. She brings to Securely Travel her unique perspective honed over many years of travel both domestic and international
