El Chapo's son arrested in Mexico, prompting heavy violence in the streets of Culiacán

Authorities in Mexico have once again arrested Ovidio Guzmán, the son of convicted drug lord Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, sparking a wave of retaliation strikes from cartel gunmen in the northern city of Culiacán.

On Wednesday night and into Thursday, accused cartel members set fire to cars and kidnapped citizens. 

Following a night of violence, gunmen opened fire on security personnel, blocking highways with burning vehicles and shooting at army helicopters, forcing police to bring in further reinforcements to the city.

More than 100 flights were cancelled at three Sinaloa airports while the state governor said earlier 18 people had been admitted to hospital. 

Guzmán, nicknamed 'The Mouse', is accused of leading his father's infamous Sinaloa cartel, one of the world's major drug-trafficking organisations, according to Defence Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval. 

His father, Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, is currently serving a life sentence in the United States after being convicted of drug trafficking and money laundering in 2019.

His trial exposed some of the most heinous aspects of Mexico's drug gangs.

After his father's incarceration, 'The Mouse' rose to prominence in the Sinaloa Cartel even after he was captured and temporarily imprisoned by Mexican authorities in October 2019.

In retaliation then, gunmen began firing their weapons around the city, and their leader was released in an embarrassing loss for Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's government.

The President however said the decision was made to protect civilians' lives in the city of around 800,000 people, after the gunmen’s massive machine-gun assault left streets strewn with blazing vehicles and several people killed.

His recapture comes just days before a North American leaders' conference in Mexico City next week, which US President Joe Biden will attend.

The US has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Guzmán's capture or conviction. 

However, it was the recent spike in overdose deaths in the United States, spurred by the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which raised pressure on Mexico to confront the groups responsible for making and transporting the drug, such as the Sinaloa cartel.