Have you ever imagined being a billionaire? How about being a fugitive? Well, El Chapo was both a billionaire and a fugitive. Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman became the leader of the Sinaloa cartel in the late 1980s. He was first captured on June 9, 1993, and was transported to Almoloya maximum security prison in Mexico. El Chapo constantly asked to be relocated, and in November of 1995, he was sent to the Puente Grande prison near Guadalajara. On January 19, 2001, El Chapo escaped by hiding in a dirty-laundry cart which guards led to the gate, and then he proceeded to walk out the building dressed as a policeman. The escape was like something you would see in a movie. Shortly after his escape, El Chapo resumed his leadership in the Sinaloa Cartel, which is one of the most powerful and violent drug trafficking syndicates in the world. The Sinaloa Cartel primarily smuggles and distributes Columbian cocaine, Mexican marijuana, methamphetamine, and Mexican and Southeast Asian heroin into the United States.1
On February 22, 2014, El Chapo, asleep next to his wife and 2-year-old twin daughters, was captured at a hotel in Mazatlan, Sinaloa. He had no time to escape nor grab his weapons. Once he was captured, the United States wanted El Chapo to be handed across the border for drug trafficking charges in U.S. federal court. However, Mexico insisted that they would detain El Chapo, and keep him so secure that he would not see the world in hundreds of years.2 He returned to prison after making a legendary escape 13 years ago through a tunnel he had fabricated. The prison he was placed in went to great lengths to ensure its security — by checking if the walls were hollowed, having a set shower time, and forcing inmates to have their heads shaved every seven to twelve days. Mexico officials felt that El Chapo should do his time in Mexico before being extradited to the United States.3
On Saturday, July 11, 2015, word spread that El Chapo had escaped Altiplano Prison again. The next morning Mexican officials confirmed this news. Surprisingly, he had escaped through a 1.5-kilometre tunnel from a small opening in the shower area of his cell.4 Altiplano has a multitude of ground-level security measures such as the prison being covered in CCTV cameras and access control points.5 El Chapo was located in the special treatments area, hallway two, cell 20. The video footage Osorio Chong released from inside El Chapo’s prison cell showed Guzman entering the shower then disappearing at 8:52 p.m.6
One inmate, Flavio Sosa, was in the same unit seven years prior at the prison from which El Chapo escaped. He claims that this prison is not one you can easily escape from, because there are only 20 inmates in the special treatment area and a camera is watching you at all times in your cell. On top of that, there is a special visit program to intimidate inmates and inspect every cell thoroughly. In his words, “They strip you naked and once you are naked you have to do three squats, show them your testicles… Then, they enter your cell with dogs to examine it, with a tool that they use to knock on the wall on the floor… You have a shower time at 5:45 in the morning. Nobody can turn on the shower during the day or night.” This escape really exposed the weaknesses in the Mexican justice and prison system.7
This isn’t the first time El Chapo has used tunnels to traffic or escape authorities. The tunnel he used to escape Altiplano prison also gave people a glimpse of the tunnels the Sinaloa Cartel likely use to traffic drugs across borders without being detected. Many people blame the Mexican government for the escape of El Chapo, causing them to lose trust in their government. El Chapo’s escape was demoralizing — through it, Mexican citizens lost the trust of the government’s abilities to protect their citizens as well as the trust between both borders. 8
- Romero L. Gomez, “El Chapo’ jailbreak is both a Mexican and an American story,” The Conversation (1-4), July 17, 2015. ↵
- E. Eduardo Castillo and Katherine Corcoran, “Cartel boss escapes Mexican prison; Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman used elaborate, 1.5-km tunnel in second break from jail,” The Toronto Star, 2015. ↵
- Rafael Castillo, “Inside El Chapo’s Escape Tunnel,” Vice News, Jul 24, 2015, video. ↵
- E. Eduardo Castillo and Katherine Corcoran, “Cartel boss escapes Mexican prison; Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman used elaborate, 1.5-km tunnel in second break from jail,” The Toronto Star, 2015. ↵
- Helen Regan, “Newly-Released Footage Shows Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman Moments Before His Escape,” Time, 2015. ↵
- Rafael Castillo, “Inside El Chapo’s Escape Tunnel,” Vice News, Jul 24, 2015, video. ↵
- Rafael Castillo, “Inside El Chapo’s Escape Tunnel,” Vice News, Jul 24, 2015, video. ↵
- Alfredo Corchado, “Mexican drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman tunnels out of prison,” Dallas Morning News, July 13, 2015. ↵
147 comments
Fatima Esparza
The Mexican government has proved many times throughout the years that they are involved with corruption and cannot be trusted. El Chapo’s escape in 2014 was embarrassing for Mexico. The Mexican government promised Guzman would be in a high-security prison only for him to escape easily with the help of many around and, most likely, security members at the prison. This topic should be discussed more worldwide, and more investigation should go into the corruption of the Mexican government by the United Nations.
Daniel Matheu Baldor
I find incredible how “El Chapo” escaped not only once, but twice from prison, that are supposed to have maximum security. It is fascinating the the tunnel he built and the way he escaped. A lot of shows have been made about this and everyone knows him and his feats. Although this is impressive, this man should stay in prison for the rest of his life for the damage he has caused.
Maria Ferrer
It is surprising how Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman escape from prison not once but twice. I have heard of him before but, I never really knew how he was able to outsmart the Mexican authorities and be a free man for some time. It is a very interesting article, and the fact that El Chapo used tunnels to traffic or escape authorities without being detected is just impressive.
Aaron Onofre
Reading about Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and hearing how he lived his life in out and out of prison is always fascinating to hear about. I believe that El Chapo’s escapes from multiple maximum security prisons is not accredited to his determination to escape. I believe it is also connected to the possible help that he had in the prison, for example the guards that carted him out in the laundry basket.
Aaron Onofre
Reading about Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and hearing how he lived his life in out and out of prison is always fascinating to hear about. I believe that El Chapo’s escapes from multiple maximum security prisons is not accredited to his determination to escape. I believe it is also connected to the possible help he had in the prison, for example the guards that carted him out in the laundry basket.
Nicholas Burch
In a way, it’s sort of admirable how he was able to escape a maximum-security prison more than once. Although he was able to get back to his life of crime, at least he was able to be there for his wife. He obviously deserved to be in prison, but now all of us have an old yet fascinating story to talk about. I never knew how people were treated in maximum security prisons and how security checks in on their inmates. The part where they strip you naked seems a little inhumane, but just like they always say, the punishment fits the crime.
Yaniev Ibarra
Surprising to say that “El Chapo” Guzman escaped what were supposed to be maximum security prisons and not only once. Although, his actions are frowned upon it is fascinating to know that he had detailed and successful escapes planned out. In addition, his net worth is beyond what I imagined. Capturing a very big drug lord is a huge accomplishment yet it does not stop the trafficking of drugs and unfortunately I think it is safe to say this world will not ever be drug trafficking free. I am amused by this mans actions and the way he thinks, of course though not his way of life.
Ana Jimenez
When I first saw this on the news a couple years ago, I could not believe my eyes and I thought it was ‘fake news’. However, once I kept digging at the news, I saw that it was true. This goes to show how truly unprepared and corrupt the Mexican government was. When he should have had cameras on him he did not, allowing for him to make an escape. Overall great article.
Juliana Montoya
El Chapo was always very entertaining to read about because of his control of the Sinaloa plaza in the plaza and also his stories about his many escapes from both Mexican and American prisons. What I found very interesting was the fact that several citizens of Mexico stopped trusting the government after his escape.
Savannah Alcazar
I think El Chapo is fascinating. I was actually thinking about writing my second article on him because my class involves International Law. This article is well written and kept my attention. It’s hard to believe people can dig tunnels as extensive as El Chapo and his crew. He needed to be handed over to American authorities before he was able to escape. His power is insane.