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
Rosa Castillo
El Chapo has always been an interesting story and person to talk about. This man holds extreme influences and through that has been able to escape prisons and even US prisons. Escaping prison, especially several times is extremely hard to do. However, his role in providing financial help for those who helped him. This is incredibly unfortunate because the government has shown to not be trusted.
Ariana Melendez
I remember when I found out that El Chapo had escaped a Mexican prison and not being surprised because it was not the first time. I recall many people being scared and criticizing the Mexican government. I always believed that the government was corrupt and bought off by cartels, so I can agree with this article. It was well-executed and provided valuable information.
Engelbert Madrid
El Chapo remains to be a criminal that gains to control most of the drug distribution in Latin America. It is incredible that this man has escaped prison without getting caught. Furthermore, he proved the Mexican government that he can escape and embarrass the government for letting him escape in one of the most secured prison cells in Mexico. Also, El Chapo also gained support from some people by providing them financial help as well.
Nathan Alba
I mean I guess I understand why the Mexican government insisted on having El Chapo serve his time in Mexico, but honestly I remember here in the states many people were already calling it that he was going to escape. Whether the Mexican government was involved or not– that is a whole other conspiracy. But I think this article did well to portray the efforts that people of injustice are willing to go to in order to keep living a carefree and illegal lifestyle.
Alejandra Chavez
It’s completely understandable as to why the citizens would feel a sense of betrayal from their government. I myself, do not understand why Mexico wouldn’t allow Chapo to be extradited into the United States. There is no doubt in my mind that there is a corrupt government. This was a very clear and concise article.
Lamont Traylor
El Chapo is a very famous name known. Before reading this article, I already knew the way he escaped the prison, however I did not know of the details behind the escape. Reading that he escaped through the tunnel in the shower floor was a realization that the people helping him were very close to the prison without alarming anyone. Knowing now that the prison is not easy to escape got me to wonder about the people who helped him escape and that they knew what they were doing. Overall, the facts given made this article very interesting.
Nathan Hartley
I think that El Chapo’s story is extremely interesting, especially considering that he has been captures so man times. I think it is wild that such a prominent criminal was able to escape so many different times and was captured so many times. I also think it is insane that he was able to escape from US prisons as well considering that he had less of an impact on the community here.
Christopher Hohman
Nice article. El Chapo is a very notorious criminal. I believe that he should have been extradited to the United States immediately after his first capture. The Mexican government is so full of corruption that there is no way that they would have been able to successfully hold onto a criminal as wealthy and powerful as El Chapo. It is unfortunate that so many people in Mexico, especially in law enforcement, that are very poor, and if they can have even a fraction of the wealth of El Chapo, then who could blame them.
Diego Aguilera
Ive always heard about El Chapo as anything with his name became a headline. I think its so crazy the life he lives but also the money he is making! Its very interesting the loyalty that his people have towards him. I really enjoyed this article and what it had to say regarding his escape. I definitely would do more research myself to find out more about El Chapos life. El Chapos history will live forever.
Tessa Bodukoglu
I enjoyed reading this article. I love the crime and murder mystery but I also love reading about drug traffickers. the author did a good job on telling the story about el chapo. I have heard of el chapo and how big into the drug industry he was but I didn’t think he was this involved. the Mexican government ensures that they have it under control yet he escaped for the 2nd time under their custody.