Mexico arrests Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's father-in-law

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Mexican Federal Police
Image caption,
The investigation led by Mexico's Federal Police is said to have been started in January

Police in Mexico have arrested the father-in-law of the country's most wanted man, the drug boss Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.

Ines Coronel grew marijuana in the northern state of Sonora to smuggle into the United States, officials say.

The father of Mr Guzman's third wife was reportedly detained with guns, ammunition and drugs.

Joaquin Guzman is the leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel and there is a $5m (£3.2m) US reward for his capture.

Mr Coronel, 45, was detained in Agua Prieta, near the border with the US state of Arizona, along with four other men including his son, Interior Deputy Secretary Eduardo Sanchez told journalists.

'Public enemy'

The US Treasury Department issued financial sanctions against Mr Coronel in January, when the investigations that led to his arrest are said to have been started.

At the time, officials described him as a key figure in the Sinaloa cartel.

Guzman has been on the run since escaping a Mexican maximum security prison in 2001.

The city of Chicago named him its first public enemy number one since Al Capone.

He has been indicted on federal trafficking charges and US officials want him extradited if he is ever captured.

Forbes magazine has estimated Guzman's fortune at about $1bn.