Son of drug lord El Chapo abducted

One of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman’s sons was among a group of people abducted from a restaurant in the Mexican tourist resort of Puerto Vallarta, the state attorney general said on Tuesday (August 16).

Jalisco Attorney General Eduardo Almaguer told journalists that one of Guzman’s sons, 29-year-old Alfredo, was among six people abducted by armed men from an upscale eatery in the heart of the Pacific resort town early on Monday (August 15).

“A person by the name of Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, 29-years-old, is the son of Joaquin Guzman Loera. This has been verified through what was found in the vehicles and information compared from the various security agencies and experts’ reports from the investigations that took place. That is what has allowed us to confirm this now,” said Almaguer.

“El Chapo” Guzman was the head of the Sinaloa cartel and one of the world’s most wanted drug kingpins until he was captured in January.

But in nearby Jalisco state, where Puerto Vallarta is located, the Jalisco New Generation cartel has emerged as a rival and become one of the country’s most powerful drug gangs in recent years.

Almaguer was confident that investigations will uncover the identity of the suspects behind the kidnapping.

“The investigations which are being carried out are progressing well in identifying some of the suspects who committed this action. Also, this investigation and the (cartel) ties of the suspects will support that they belong to a criminal group which has operated in recent years in our state,” he added.

At the news conference, Almaguer identified four others who had been kidnapped, but said law enforcement had no leads as to their whereabouts.

In 2008, another of Guzman’s sons, Edgar, was murdered in a Sinaloan shopping mall by hitmen hired by the Beltran Leyva drug cartel, sparking a war with the Sinaloa Cartel.