The most recent operation by the Mexican Navy in the town of El Durazno, in the municipality of Tamazula, has put this hard-to-reach town in the spotlight. Located in the mountains of Durango, it is where Aureliano Guzmán Loera, known as El Guano, brother of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, operates.
This mountain town on the border of Durango, in the so-called Golden Triangle, on the border with Sinaloa and Chihuahua, has become accustomed in recent years to military operations aimed at capturing high-priority targets, primarily El Guano, who has managed to slip away and evade the Armed Forces several times.
On February 24, 2023, residents reported the arrival of federal forces and helicopters flying overhead in an attempt to capture Aureliano Guzmán Loera, leader of the Gente del Guano faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
On July 8, 2024, the same thing happened, but El Chapo’s brother managed to escape after the clashes in the mountains. In that operation, led by the Army and National Guard, his head of security, Luis ‘N’, alias El R8, was arrested. Following the operation to try to capture the drug lord, roadblocks and the burning of vehicles were reported.
At almost 80 years old, El Guano has never been arrested, despite being wanted by authorities in Mexico and the United States. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is offering a reward of ten million dollars for information leading to his capture.
In the United States, he faces charges related to international conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, and methamphetamine.
In Mexico, the Army and the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) shared information about his legal situation in October 2020, and at that time seven investigation files related to his criminal activity since 2005 were located, and an arrest warrant for extradition purposes was found since 2018, although it was clarified that it could be a case of homonymy.
