World’s Most Wanted Drug Lord In Custody
The Sinaloa cartel’s boss of bosses was captured in a Mexican resort town, and it’s likely the US will seek extradition.
Mexico’s most infamous drug lord, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, has been captured, 13 years after escaping from a high-security jail.
President Enrique Peña Nieto confirmed the arrest via his Twitter account with congratulatory messages for the Mexican security forces in what could prove to be the most significant single development yet in the drug wars that have battered Mexico since the launch of a crackdown on organised crime seven years ago.
The attorney general, Jesús Murillo Karam, told reporters gathered at the navy’s main base in Mexico City that Guzmán was captured at 6.40am on Saturday in the resort city of Mazatlán in “an impeccable operation” carried out by the Mexican navy with “no shots fired”. Mazatlán is located in the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa, the heart of the drug lord’s multinational and multibillion dollar operations.
Murillo Karam recognised the collaboration of the US government in tracking Guzmán to a network of safe houses with reinforced metal doors and escape tunnels that made use of the city drainage system and allowed the criminal to escape from an initial operation.
“There were several moments when we could have detained him after that,” Murillo Karam said. “We waited until the best moment,” he added, claiming this ensured there were no unnecessary civilian casualties.
Guzmán was then seen being walked to a navy helicopter wearing black jeans and a light shirt, his head down.
