In a brazen daylight attack that has shocked Mexico, Vanessa Guzmán - the wife of imprisoned drug kingpin Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán - narrowly escaped death after gunmen opened fire on her vehicle in the cartel-dominated city of Culiacán.
The violent ambush occurred on Tuesday afternoon as Guzmán was travelling through the streets of the Sinaloa state capital, a region long controlled by her husband's notorious cartel empire. According to local reports, multiple assailants targeted her car with high-caliber weapons in what appears to be a carefully planned assassination attempt.
The Attack Unfolds
Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror as bullets ripped through the vehicle while it was moving through the city. Security footage obtained by local media shows the moment the attack began, with gunmen emerging from another vehicle before unleashing a barrage of gunfire.
Miraculously, despite the vehicle being struck multiple times, Guzmán survived the assault with non-life-threatening injuries. She was rushed to a local medical facility where she received treatment for wounds described as 'not critical' by officials familiar with the incident.
Cartel Connections and Rising Violence
The attack comes amid escalating violence between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, the criminal organization once led by El Chapo before his extradition to the United States. Since his imprisonment, internal power struggles have torn through the cartel's leadership, leading to increased bloodshed on the streets of northwestern Mexico.
Vanessa Guzmán, who married the drug lord while he was serving his current life sentence in a US maximum-security prison, has maintained a high profile within cartel circles. Her relationship with the infamous kingpin has made her both a prominent figure and potential target in the ongoing cartel wars.
Security Crisis in Sinaloa
This latest shooting underscores the severe security challenges facing the Mexican state of Sinaloa, where cartel violence continues to claim lives despite government efforts to combat organized crime. Just last month, similar attacks in the region left several cartel associates dead in what authorities describe as an ongoing turf war.
Local law enforcement has launched a full investigation into the attack on Guzmán, though few details have been released publicly. The Mexican army has increased patrols in Culiacán following the incident, reflecting concerns about potential retaliation from El Chapo's loyalists.
The attempted assassination of El Chapo's wife represents just the latest chapter in the violent saga surrounding Mexico's most famous drug lord and the criminal empire he built - an empire that continues to operate and wage war despite his imprisonment thousands of miles away.
