The Umpteenth Escape Of Aureliano Guzmán: By RíoDoce
“Char” for Borderland Beat
This article was translated and reposted from RIODOCE
July 15, 2024
Deaths and arrests in the capo’s defense; R-8 was one more, not the security chief
Aureliano Guzmán Loera, El Guano, considered one of the most wanted drug traffickers by the Mexican and U.S. governments, was the target of the Sedena during last week’s operation in Badiraguato, but he managed to escape thanks to the various security rings that repelled the military attack from both the air and the ground.
According to versions of people who live in the towns of Soyatita, San José del Llano and Santa Gertrudis, the operation began after 10:30 in the morning of July 8, when at least three Black Hawk helicopters began to fly over the area and suddenly tried to land near San José del Llano, while, simultaneously, convoys of soldiers began a ground operation near Soyatita.
“What one of the guys who goes around with the gang (the gunmen) said, is that when they became aware of the operation, the people of Guano started shooting at the soldiers to plot with them and not let the boludos (helicopters) land, that’s why they started shooting at them, because almost at the same time they were reporting that the guachos (soldiers) were also coming by land here by Soyatita, and the order was to stop them,” said a resident of that town, to whom this reporter had access.
The story, reconstructed with different versions from people who lived through the operation, suggests that the problem then was not the soldiers coming by land, and that they were still far from where Aureliano Guzmán Loera was, but the helicopters that were prepared for the attack and that were defending themselves from the resistance of the gunmen from the ground, since the order they had – everything indicated – was to land and take Guano away.
“They didn’t let them land, while one of the boludos was trying to land near El Nogalito, the others were protecting him, but then the gang didn’t let them and fired shots so that they couldn’t even get close,” said the same Soyatita resident, who asked not to be identified.
According to information from Sedena, during one of the confrontations, the capo’s lieutenant, identified only as R-8, was detained. He had offered to confront the military offensive when they had already passed the community of Santa Gertrudis and were almost to a ranch known only as Oso Bravo, already in Durango territory.
“They almost had him, but the R-8, he stopped to confront the soldiers, that’s why I tell you, if the Guano had not been there, the guys would not be plotting, but as I say, they had to protect their boss,” observed a neighbor of Santa Gertrudis. Sources also said that several hitmen were killed in the defense of Guano. It was speculated that one of them was the son, Aureliano Guzmán Araujo.
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