Dozens of Mexican naval special forces have completely surrounded the small northern and mountainous community where infamous drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was born and according to local news reports Thursday, people have been killed.
The siege of La Tuna, located in the municipality of Badiraguato in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa, was carried out on Monday evening and since nobody in small town has been allowed to leave, RioDoce reported.
Photo: AFP
El Chapo's mother, Consuelo Loera, his brother Aureliano and other relatives live in La Tuna, the town where Guzman was born in 1958.
The Mexican marines arrived to Badiraguato on Saturday, RioDoce added, but it wasn’t until Monday that they took over La Tuna not allowing anybody into or out of the town.
“People have been killed” in La Tuna, but a death toll has not been made public, state government sources told RioDoce.
The marines have also taken complete control of a ranch owned by El Chapo's brother Aureliano Guzman.
The special forces carried out what they claimed to be a huge operation to recapture Guzman in early October.
Military officials “lied” that they nearly arrested El Chapo and made public a “cinematic” explanation of how they saw Guzman on foot with a small girl and decided not to arrest him. They later saw him on foot again, but alone, and proceeded to detain him, but they say he got away after falling from a small cliff and injuring his leg and face.
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The military version has been widely criticized as “pure circus” and a justification for massive human rights abuses in the area. In fact, the alleged search there left 600 people displaced, about a hundred children traumatized and various people disappeared.
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Federal officials have said they have a massive manhunt in place for the recapture of El Chapo, who escaped for a second time from a maximum security jail on July 11, and has since, according to teleSUR sources close to the Sinaloa Cartel leader, the DEA and other authorities, been hiding out in the mountainous region between Jesus Maria and Badiguarato, where he enjoys huge protection from federal, state and local authorities.
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