Posted: July 1st, 2022

Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman

Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman

Introduction
On 8th January 2016, the most wanted man in the world at the time was captured. Joaquín Guzmán Loera, popularly known as “El Chapo,” is a notorious Mexican drug lord. Before his capture, he led the Sinaloa cartel, the drug-trafficking organization, considered to be the most powerful organization globally (Hurowitz, 2020). “El Chapo” joined the drug trafficking trade while a teenager and by 1989, he had founded the Sinaloa cartel. Over time, “El Chapo” was able to establish the Sinaloa Cartel to be an immensely profitable drug trafficking organization with its operations across the globe. In the process, Hurowitz (2020) suggests that he acquired a reputation of powerful influence and violent actions, while also orchestrating very daring prison escapes from the maximum-security prisons within Mexico. Although ‘El Chapo’ was recaptured and finally extradited to the United States, the violence and crime he left behind can never be forgotten.
Early Years and Rise to Power
According to Johnson (2017), “El Chapo” Guzmán was born in Badiraguato, a rural Mexican town on 4th April 1957. His childhood was characterized by growing up from a low-income family where his father was very violent and abusive and was already practicing the drug trafficking trade. “El Chapo” was kicked out from his family home while only a teenager was forcing him to find his way in life (Johnson, 2017). Given the fact that he had very little schooling, “El Chapo” option was to follow in his father’s footsteps of growing Marijuana and trafficking drugs to acquire some money for survival.
Towards late 1970, El Chapo had already established himself as a rising young dealer in the narcotics trade, and he partnered with other young dealers in his neighborhood, such as Héctor Luis Palma Salazar. According to Johnson (2017), “El Chapo” would oversee drug movement from Sinaloa, his home district, to other coastal cities within Mexico and later to the United States. Towards his late 20s, “El Chapo” had quietly gained experience in the trade and was no working for Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, a drug kingpin in Mexico at the time. During this time, he managed to maintain a low profile. Still, when Gallardo was arrested for the American Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, “El Chapo” quickly became the new kingpin of the Mexican drug trade (Johnson, 2017).
The Sinaloa Drug Cartel
Having inherited a big chunk of his former boss territory, Johnson (2017) indicates that “El Chapo” founded the Sinaloa Cartel in 1989. “El Chapo” rises coincided with the decline of the Cali and Medellin cartels in Colombia, which meant that the Sinaloa Cartel was among the organizations seeking to fill this void (Johnson, 2017). Under the guidance of “El Chapo,” the Sinaloa Cartel managed to take control of drug trade from South America to the US. By the mid-1990s, the FBI and DEA had already put “El Chapo” on their radar since had had now become more powerful and was considered to be the most dangerous drug trafficker in Mexico (Johnson, 2017).
The Sinaloa Cartel was able to succeed in its operations because it employed creative smuggling methods that included the use of air-conditioned underground tunnels constructed on the Mexican-U.S. border (Johnson, 2017). Moreover, Johnson (2017) adds that the Cartel would also hide cocaine powder in cans labeled “chili peppers,” and in other cases, fire extinguishers were used to transport these drugs. With time, the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations would extend to more than five continents and became the largest drug trafficking operating across the globe.
To protect his vast empire, “El Chapo” established gangs with different names such as the “Los Chachos,” “Los Negros” and Los Texas,” among other (Johnson, 2017). Over the years, Johnson (2017) indicates that the Sinaloa Cartel has often been accused of being responsible for over 1,000 murders within Mexico. With such atrocities taking place and the continued drug trafficking operations in both South America and the US, the Mexican government, in collaboration with the US government were determined to arrest and charge “El Chapo.”
“El Chapo” Arrests and Escapes
In 1993, “El Chapo” was arrested by Guatemalan authorities and eradicated to Mexico, where he received a conviction and sentence of 20 years in a maximum-security prison (Rockefeller, 2016). However, despite being behind bars, Rockefeller (2016) notes that “El Chapo” still maintained his power because he could bribe prison wardens to allow him to arrange for conjugal visits or allow him to undertake his drug operations. At the same time, “El Chapo” image and fame had grown immensely in most villages within his home district, with most young men seeing him to a Robin Hood-like figure (Rockefeller, 2016). His fame and influence grew even further in 2001 when he managed to escape prison by bribing prison guards who helped him escape through a laundry cart. As a result, 71 prison employees were arrested after a federal investigation was conducted (Rockefeller, 2016).
Although “El Chapo” was now on the run, he was still in the drug business, and he tightened his grip while expanding his fortunes in the following decade. For instance, by 2009, the Sinaloa Cartel was transacting about $3 Billion while “El Chapo” net worth had grown to about $1 million (Rockefeller, 2016). As a consequence, “El Chapo” became the main drug target of the US government, which put a $5 million bounty on his head or for any information leading to his arrest (Rockefeller, 2016). In 2012, the US Government went ahead to freeze all assets belonging to his relatives within the United States.
In 2006, the Mexican government started an aggressive assault on all drug cartels operating in the country. Still, it failed to uncover “El Chapo,” who at the time had been reported to be roaming freely around the county(Rockefeller, 2016). During this period, Rockefeller (2016) notes that “El Chapo” even got married and held a large party attended by local politicians and police officers among his guests. However, in 2014, “El Chapo” was arrested in Mazatlán, Mexico, upon which the American authorities requested for his extradition to the US (Rockefeller, 2016). However, President Enrique Peña declined this request vowing that “El Chapo” wouldn’t escape again. Unfortunately, “El Chapo” managed to escape 18 months again after his arrest was in July 2015; he slipped through a ceiling opening in his shower section (Rockefeller, 2016). This opening was connected to an underground tunnel that had been dug from a house neighboring the prison to his cell.
Recapture and Extradition to the United States
On 8th January 2016, Mexican president, Enrique Peña announced on his twitter handle that “El Chapo” had been recaptured by the Mexican authorities after a fierce shootout in Los Mochis (Catoira & Bratton, 2018). “El Chapo” was a day before the publishing of an interview he had done with an actor, and it remains unclear whether his communication with this actor is what contributed to “El Chapo” being arrested (Catoira & Bratton, 2018). However, Catoira and Bratton (2018) indicate that the Mexican authorities suggested that they had been monitoring “El Chapo” electronic exchanges, which aided in the process. After his recapture, “El Chapo” was returned to the prison he had escaped but was later relocated to a prison facility in Juarez, Mexico, which is near the border of Mexico and the US. However, in October 2016, a significant event occurred when the presiding judge Vicente Bermudez Zacarias was murdered just near his home (Catoira & Bratton, 2018). The Mexican government decided to extradite “El Chapo” to the US in January 2017 to face different drug trafficking-related charges, among others.
El Chapo’s Trial and Sentencing
On 13th November 2018, the “El Chapo” trial at the Brooklyn’s Federal District Court began amid very heavy and tight security. After listening to more than 56 witnesses and 200 hours of testimony, the court found “El Chapo” guilty on all the ten counts leveled against him (Hurowitz, 2020). On 17th July 2019, “El Chapo” was sentenced to life in prison and an additional 30 years. Moreover, Judge Cogan ordered “El Chapo” to pay $12.6 billion as restitution charges (Hurowitz, 2020). This marked the end of a long process of bringing “El Chapo” to justice.
Conclusion
From the preceding, “El Chapo” had acquired a reputation of powerful influence and violent actions, while also orchestrating very daring prison escapes from the maximum-security prisons within Mexico. “El Chapo” had quietly gained experience in the trade and was no working for Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, a drug kingpin in Mexico at the time. “El Chapo” founded the Sinaloa Cartel, and the group was able to succeed in its operations because it employed creative smuggling methods that included the use of air-conditioned underground tunnels constructed on the Mexican-U.S. border. Although he was arrested and imprisoned on numerous occasions, he managed to escape prison by bribing prison guards. However, on 8th January 2016, he was recaptured and extradited to the US, where he was sentenced to life in prison and fined $12.6 billion as restitution.

References
Catoira, P. D., & Bratton, V. K. (2018). El Chapo for presidente: An examination of leadership through Mexico’s narcoculture. Leadership, Popular Culture and Social Change, 91-106. doi:10.4337/9781785368974.00014
Hurowitz, N. (2020). El Chapo: The untold story of the world’s most infamous drug lord. Simon & Schuster.
Johnson, L. (2017). El Chapo: Blood money: The true story of the most famous drug lord. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Rockefeller, J. (2016). El Chapo: World’s notorious drug lord recaptured by Mexican authorities. J.D. Rockefeller.

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