Son of ‘El Chapo’ Kidnapped in Restaurant Raid

At least one son of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was kidnapped at a restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, CNN reports.

Jesús Alfredo Guzman Salazar was one of six men taken early Monday morning from an upscale restaurant on the town’s main street, according to Jalisco Attorney General Eduardo Almaguer. Seven armed men reportedly stormed the restaurant and separated the men in Guzman’s group from the nine women they were with. Four out of the six men taken have been identified, including Jesús Alfredo.

“I want to be precise that Jesús Alfredo Guzman Salazar is the son of Joaquin Guzman,” Almaguer said. “This is how we have given the credit and name with the information found in a vehicle as well as through our investigation. Also, through the eyewitness reports.”

It remains unclear, however, if another one of Guzman’s sons, Ivan Archivaldo, was also kidnapped. While Almaguer initially stated that Ivan Archivaldo was among the six taken, the attorney general backpedaled and did not name him during a press conference Tuesday night.

Guzman family attorney Pablo Badillo, however, told CNN that the Guzman family contacted him Tuesday and said “the possibility of Ivan Archivaldo having been abducted is very high.”

The Mexican army, federal police, state police and the country’s prosecution office have all joined the search to locate the missing men and their kidnappers. Almaguer said, “It is important to note that at this moment, we have not received any complaints or calls from any part of the missing and at the same time, we have also not received any calls from anyone that indicates that there is anyone asking the organization regarding anyone.”

While it remains unclear who kidnapped Jesús Alfredo, this is not the first time one of El Chapo’s sons has been targeted. In 2008, members of a rival cartel shot and killed one of El Chapo’s oldest sons, Edgar Beltran, in a shopping mall parking lot.

As for El Chapo, the drug lord is being held in a prison in Juarez, Mexico while his attorneys fight efforts to extradite him to the United States. El Chapo notoriously escaped prison in 2015 via tunnel, but was arrested in January.