12 suspected cartel members were felled on a highway in a botched attempt to rescue a hitman’s son from Mexican authorities Saturday, a Mexican official said, Reuters reported.
The criminals wanted to free Carlos Humberto, the son of suspected Sinaloa Cartel hitman Jesus Humberto Limon, from police custody, Sonora’s state attorney’s office said in a press release, according to Reuters. (RELATED: REPORT: Sinaloa Cartel Expands Drug Pipelines To Alaska, Fueling Overdose Crisis)
At least 12 dead in suspected attempt to rescue son of Mexican cartel hitman https://t.co/erhYb0Vawo pic.twitter.com/SCWHUBgD57
— Reuters Politics (@ReutersPolitics) January 22, 2024
Authorities detained Carlos only minutes before on charges of “crimes against health,” the attorney’s office said, according to Reuters. Seven cartel members managed to evade death and capture, according to the attorney’s office, the outlet reported. Two security officials were wounded during the firefight but are in stable condition.
The Mexican government recovered 21 assault weapons ranging from AR-15s to AK-47s, bulletproof vests, chargers, camouflage kits, six vans and a lot of ammunition from the failed cartel operation, according to Reuters.
The Sinaloa Cartel is one of Mexico’s most notorious criminal organizations. Ovidio Guzmán, the son of the cartel’s leader, was extradited from Mexico to the United States on drug trafficking-related charges and pleaded not guilty in Sept. 2023. Mexican authorities captured Guzmán following a gunfight back in January. Guzmán’s father,”El Chapo,” was found guilty of cartel activities in the United States back in 2019 and sentenced to 30 years in prison, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of the cartel leader, was captured on video partying in southern California after her release from prison in Sept. 2023. She had served less than two years of her three year sentence after pleading guilty to charges relating to a drug trafficking conspiracy. The United States has placed sanctions against individuals tied to the Sinaloa Cartel.