El Chapo's Recapture
- Evan Belsky
- Mar 8, 2016
- 2 min read
How the Mexican Armed Forces Recaptured Mexico’s Most Dangerous Drug Kingpin
On January 8th, 2016, the world’s most notorious drug kingpin, El Chapo was apprehended heading South to Mexico’s Hotel Doux. El Chapo, also known as Joaquin Guzman Loera, was in his house at the time that the Mexican Marines stormed the compound. Like all of his other houses and hideaways, it “was equipped with elaborate escape hatches: a decoy beneath the refrigerator, and another behind a closet mirror, which he used to flee as the battle raged”[1]. Though he was not captured in the raging battle that ensued, he was caught on the highway later on that evening, said local authorities.
In a similar fashion, he had successfully humiliated the Mexican Government by escaping its maximum security prison, in July 2015. The prison cell he was being held in was equipped with a tunnel that led out of the shower. The New York Times states, “The tunnel was more than two feet wide and more than five feet high, tall enough for him to walk standing upright, and was burrowed more than 30 feet underground. It had been equipped with lighting, ventilation and a motorcycle on rails that was probably used to transport digging material and cart the dirt out.”[1].
In a leaked photo, shown below, Mexican Marines are preparing to storm the house occupied by Mr. Guzman, in an attempt to bring the Drug Lord to justice for escaping countless prisons and evading authorities for years. It is still not explained how he got out of the shower, however, as cameras captured every moment, but saw nothing of the sort when the footage was reviewed by Mexican Authorities.
From Sinaloa, Guzman was taken back to the Mexico City prison, from which he had escaped in July. According to Reuters, “Mexico has beefed up security at his prison, reinforcing the floor of his cell and placing a guard on his door 24/7.”[2] The police say that this capture is the greatest accomplishment in Mexican History. The immediate threat is gone, while the drug business is still reeling from its loss of El Chapo.
Sources Referenced:
[1] Ahmed, Azam. "How El Chapo Was Finally Captured, Again." The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Jan. 2016. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
[2]
Diaz, Lizbeth, and Gabriel Stargardter. "Fearing Third Escape, Mexico Moves Drug Boss Chapo Constantly." Reuters. Thomas Reuters, 12 Jan. 2016. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.
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