Operation Black Swan[1] was a joint Mexican-American military operation that resulted in the recapture of the Sinaloa Cartel leader, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, following a deadly firefight in the city of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, on January 8, 2016. Officials in the Mexican government announced that the operation was planned and executed by the FES, and that they had originally targeted an important Sinaloa Cartel assassin at a home in Los Mochis, and happened to find Guzmán as well. U.S. government officials announced that members of the United States Army's Delta Force and the United States Marshals Service assisted the Mexican Navy in the January 8 mission, and will pursue the extradition of Guzmán to the United States.[2][3]
Guzmán had been on the run since his escape from a federal prison in Almoloya de Juárez, Mexico, on July 11, 2015. On January 8, 2016, Mexican naval forces moved into position to raid a house in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, believed to be occupied by one of Guzmán's "top assassins" or "sicarios". As they entered the building, an "intense" gun battle erupted between the marines and several armed assailants, leaving five of the cartel gunmen dead and six wounded. One marine was also wounded. During the chaos of the firefight, the marines discovered Guzmán, who fled the house through a series of tunnels and then attempted to escape in a stolen vehicle. Shortly thereafter he was spotted by federal agents and apprehended outside a motel a short distance away from the house.[1][2]
The Mexican Navy reported that they found an arms cache at the house consisting of eight assault rifles, two M16 rifles with grenade launchers, two Barrett M82 sniper rifles, and a loaded rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Two armored cars were also seized.[4]
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 J.P. Carol (2016-01-11). "Report: Delta Force Was Part Of El Chapo Capture". The Daily Caller. http://dailycaller.com/2016/01/11/report-delta-force-was-part-of-el-chapo-capture/#ixzz43HWLEND5. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jack Murphy (2016-01-11). "JSOC’s Secretive Delta Force Operators on the Ground for El Chapo Capture". SOFREP News. https://sofrep.com/45855/jsoc-delta-force-operators-on-the-ground-for-el-chapo-capture/. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
- ↑ "‘El Chapo’ extradition to the U.S. will be accelerated, Mexican President Nieto says". The Associated Press. 2016-01-22. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/el-chapo-extradition-accelerated-nieto-article-1.2506620. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
- ↑ "Incautan vehiculos en recaptura del "El Chapo"". El Universal. 2016-01-08. http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/especiales/nacion/2016/01/8/260967/nota/261004/0/incautan-vehiculos-en-recaptura-del-el-chapo#info. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
The original article can be found at Operation Black Swan and the edit history here.