Ovidio Guzmán López, the son of infamous Mexican drug lord Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, has spoken publicly for the first time since his arrest.
Ovidio, 32, was captured by the Mexican military in Jesús María, a small town in the state of Sinaloa, on January 5, during a bloody operation that saw 10 soldiers and 19 suspected cartel hitmen killed.
'El Ratón' ('The Mouse') stands accused of becoming a key leader in the Sinaloa Cartel following the arrest of his father in 2016.
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Specifically, Ovidio and three of his brothers – Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar and Joaquín Guzmán López – form Los Chapitos and control a faction of the drug trafficking empire that remained loyal to the Guzmán family after El Chapo's arrest.
After his capture, Ovidio was taken to the Altiplano maximum security prison in Mexico City – coincidentally the same prison from where his father previously escaped.
He has seemingly managed to get a message out of the lock-up via relatives, specifically addressing the residents of Jesús María where he was captured.
Speaking to MILENIO, relatives said the message is simple: "Sorry."
The outlet reports that Ovidio wants to apologise to the locals for the destruction and terror brought about by his arrest and the mayhem that ensued.
Following the 10-hour gun battle, cartel hitmen set fire to vehicles, set up roadblocks and shot at commercial planes in what appeared to be an attempt to stop authorities taking their boss elsewhere.
Ovidio's relatives told MILENIO that they are trying to spread the message around the rural community.
However, several residents remain traumatised by the ordeal.
One told the publication: "Every night I dream the same thing: the bullets, the guachos (military), the bursts and that helicopter. My children are more traumatised, they don't even want to go to school, just a week ago they started going because they don't want to leave here."
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