Los Chapitos confuse Al Jazeera Journalist for Los Damaso , kidnap and assault them

Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Proceso article

Subject Matter: Journalists, Los Chapitos, Villa Juarez
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required

An armed group of Ivan Archivaldo Guzman, son of El Chapo Guzman, detained and assaulted Al Jazeera journalists when confusing them with another delinquent group linked to Damaso Lopez “El Licenciado”, in Villa Juarez, Navolato.

The group of journalists were held for 45 minutes and were later released after the armed group realized their mistake. However the journalists were stripped of their vehicles, work tools and cell phones, and then set free in a field a kilometer from the Villamoros community.

The victims had arrived in Sinaloa to work on a report on agricultural workers and violence, but in the course of carrying out their work were intercepted by the armed group.

According to Noroeste, the journalists contacted the agency in Washington, where they requested assistance from the Federal Police, who contacted the Army to transfer them to Culiacan, where they are filing a complaint with Public Prosecutors Office.

Hours later, the Attorney Generals Office reported that the State Preventative Police located their vehicle in an area near the Costa Rican union, in which the video recording equipment of the journalists was found.

Original article in Spanish at Proceso