President Biden and the Secret Service must be happy that he is landing in Mexico City rather than Culiacán on the Pacific coast.  It has gotten very complicated in Culiacán in the last few days.  This is the story:

Just days before U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Mexico, the country was thrown into turmoil as alleged cartel members blocked off an airport and areas outside a local army base, and limited access to the city of Culiacan, in an unsuccessful effort to thwart the capture of drug trafficker Ovidio Guzmán.

Mexican security forces captured Guzmán, the son of infamous Sinaloa drug lord known as "El Chapo," in a predawn operation Thursday. Guzmán is wanted by the U.S. for his involvement in the cartel's activities.

The chaos spurred gunfights across the northwestern state's capital ahead of Biden's scheduled two-day visit on Jan. 9 for bilateral talks with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the North American Leaders' Summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

So what's going on?  Why did the Mexican government decide to go after El Chapo's son with President Biden on his way?

It could be a coincidence, since this is not the first time that Little Chapo has encountered Mexican troops.  Maybe they got lucky this time and got their target.  On the other hand, Guzmán is in the middle of the production of illegal fentanyl.  He is not the only one, but he is a major player.  My guess is that he will join his father in a prison in the U.S.

The confrontation went beyond Guzmán and the Mexican Army.  Check this out:

Passengers at Culiacán Airport (CUL) in Sinaloa got caught up in the violence earlier today. Aeromexico flight AM165, which was scheduled to fly from Culiacán to Mexico City, was impacted by this the worst. This flight was scheduled to depart at 8:24AM for the 651-mile journey to Mexico’s capital. The flight was operated by a 15-year-old Embraer E190 with the registration code XA-ALW.

Based on the footage, it appears that the cartel fired at this plane while it was taxiing to the runway on departure. There’s video footage both from outside the aircraft, and also from within the cabin, where passengers are told to duck for cover.

Wow.  That's a new line crossed.  I don't remember the last time that a commercial plane was hit in Mexico.  Thankfully, nothing happened, but what were those cartel weapons doing at the airport?

Welcome to Mexico, President Biden.  I hope Presidente López-Obrador tells you frankly how your lack of order on the border has emboldened these criminal elements in Mexico.

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Image: Arcklp.