8 killed in botched bid to crack down on cartel in Mexico

MEXICO CITY — An operation to capture one of Mexico’s most powerful drug lords failed disastrously Thursday as several Mexican security forces were held hostage by heavily armed cartel fighters who laid siege to the northern Mexican city of Culiacan.

Authorities had sought to detain Ovidio Guzman Lopez, a leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel and the son of notorious drug boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. But after briefly capturing their target, security forces ultimately retreated without him, a move Mexico’s leaders defended as necessary to save lives.

Officials said at least eight people died in a series of gunbattles across the city, including one civilian, one member of the National Guard and five cartel attackers.

The cartel’s victory in subduing authorities was a stunning humiliation for the Mexican government, which has struggled to quell growing violence across the country.

On Friday, Secretary of Defense Luis Cresencio Sandoval said members of the army and the newly formed national guard were seeking to execute an extradition arrest warrant for Guzman that was issued by a federal judge in the United States. The security forces decided to try to capture Guzman without authorization from their supervisors, he said.

Authorities took control of the house where Guzman was staying. But soon Guzman’s defenders arrived and “surrounded the house with a greater force,” said Security Minister Alfonso Durazo.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he supported the decisions of security officials.