Drug kingpin with El Chapo ties shot dead in Los Angeles

Nov. 25 (UPI) -- A convicted drug trafficker with ties to Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was found dead from a gun shot wound on Thanksgiving day, police said.

Eduardo Escobedo, 39, known as "El Mago," worked as the primary marijuana dealer in Los Angeles for Guzman's son, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman. Escobedo was found dead in an industrial park with Guillermo De Los Angeles Jr., 47, the Los Angeles Times reported. A third person was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Around 8 a.m. Thursday, deputies responded to an industrial area with warehouses, shipping containers and tractor trailers. A nearby business owner said some of the buildings are rented out for parties. Police confirmed there may have been a party on the night of the shooting.

Escobedo, whose nickname translates to "The Magician," was released from prison in 2018 after serving nearly five years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute more than 10,000 kilograms of marijuana and money laundering. In 2014, prosecutors publicly made the connection between Guzman and Escobedo. Guzman remains one of Mexico's most wanted.