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Ovidio Guzman, son of jailed drug lord Joaquin Guzman, better known as El Chapo, was arrested today by Mexican authorities, four officials familiar with the matter told Reuters.

News of the capture came after a night of clashes in the city of Culiacan in the northern state of Sinaloa, home to the eponymous drug cartel, one of the world's most powerful drug-trafficking organizations.

Ovidio, who became a key figure in the Sinaloa cartel after his father's arrest, was briefly detained in October 2019 by security forces.

Soon after, however, he was released to avoid bloody revenge by his drug cartel, an embarrassing setback for the Mexican authorities.

Drug lord El Chapo is looking for a way out of prison

This morning, security forces were busy trying to contain the Guzmán family's backlash in the area, one of the officials said.

Local authorities urged people to stay at home and said schools and institutions were closed due to the clashes.

The city's airport also remains closed.

"We ask the citizens of Culiacan not to leave their homes because of the blockades in different parts of the city," the city's mayor, Juan de Dios Gamez, wrote on Twitter.

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