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President asked to rethink security strategy with the release of drug lord’s son

Mexico City, Mexico — A senator has called upon Mexico’s president to rethink his security strategy after the announcement of the release of Ovidio Guzmán López, son of drug-lord El Chapo.

The message was made by Senator Mayuli Martínez Simón who called upon López Obrador to reevaluate his security strategy and the permanence of those in charge of it, saying the recent chaos in Sinaloa was evidence of the absence of an effective federal government strategy in the fight against organized crime.

“Yesterday we lived a sad day. The federal government made the decision to give in at the mercy of organized crime. This federal government once again, has demonstrated its inability to govern. The security and tranquility of the country was compromised,” said Quintana Roo Senator Mayuli Martínez Simón.

“The federal government says that the life of Mexicans is more important than the capture of a criminal, but what it does not say is that from now on, the law is dictated by organized crime. Due to the lack of strategy, the warm hand of the government and its incapacity leave the lives of Mexicans at risk every day,” she added.

“It is a good time for President López Obrador to reconsider his security strategy and reassess the performance of the people in charge. This is the problem that is hurting the country the most and no more mistakes can be made.”

She said that what happened in Sinaloa leaves a power vacuum. “Today, our country is no man’s land. The lack of security strategy has left the integrity of citizens adrift.”

In his press conference announcing the decision to release Ovidio Guzmán López, the president said lives are worth more than a capture, explaining in regard to his surrender to the drug lords, that “There is no weakness of the state. Conservatives will question us, but we have no doubt that it was the best decision. Power is not arrogance, power is humility,” said López Obrador.

The president emphasized that the security strategy of the administration he heads is different and, therefore, it was determined not to continue with the arrest of Ovidio Guzmán López who is sought by US authorities who, he says, is unknown if there is an arrest warrant in Mexico.

“It was decided to protect people’s lives because it is not about massacres. The capture of a criminal cannot be worth more than the lives of people,” he added.

After the announcement of the release of Ovidio Guzmán López, relatives of the drug-lord’s son gave a public press conference, thanking Mexico’s president for his release. José Luis González Meza, lawyer for Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán, on behalf of the family of Ovidio Guzmán López thanked President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, describing the president as “very human and Christian” and extended his thanks to the entire national security team.

The son of well-known drug lord El Chapo was taken into police custody after a shooting incident involving the National Guard earlier this week in the state of Sinaloa. His arrest generated chaos in the city of Culiacán where eight people were reported killed in rioting over news of the arrest.

Yesterday, Mexico’s president made a public statement announcing his release.