He has been on the run for more than 12 years but a moment of passion appears to have been the downfall for the world's most wanted drug lord.
Guzman faces drug trafficking and other charges, and is wanted in at least six U.S. districts, as well as Mexico.
Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, described as the most powerful drug trafficker in the world, was arrested in a beach condominium on Saturday with help from U.S. agencies in a major victory for the government in a long, grisly war.When Mexican marines burst into the apartment he was staying in at 6.40am the discovered Guzman with an unidentified woman.Guzman, also known as Shorty, was photographed being escorted by troops through Mexico City airport later in the day. No shots were fired as troops burst in on the 56-year-old drug lord in Mazatlan, and he was arrested along with three men believed to be his bodyguards.A team of 25 marines entered the complex on Saturday morning, overpowering two security teams installed to protect the drug kingpin.
Guzman, known as “El Chapo” (Shorty) in Spanish, has long run Mexico’s infamous Sinaloa Cartel and over the past decade he emerged as one of the world’s most powerful organized crime bosses, even making it onto Forbes’ list of billionaires and listed as one of the world's richest men..
Guzman faces drug trafficking and other charges, and is wanted in at least six U.S. districts, as well as Mexico.
Despite being wanted in two countries, Guzman had evaded capture for more than 12 years, but in the end his complacency led to his downfall, a former DEA official said.
The suspected drug lord is believed to lead a cartel with revenues estimated at more than $3 billion a year, and he has been ranked as one of the riches men in the world by Forbes for several years.
'He got tired of living up in the mountains and not being able to enjoy the comforts of his wealth,'
His cartel has been heavily involved in the bloody drug war that has torn through parts of Mexico for the last several years.
He is the suspected head of the deadly Sinoa cartel, believed to be responsible for moving a quarter of the drugs that enter the U.S. from Mexico.The plot to catch Guzman, who notoriously escaped from a maximum security prison in the back of a laundry truck in 2011, had taken weeks to plan. He had been serving a 20-year sentence for bribery and criminal association
Despite being a billionaire, Guzman was found in a relatively basic apartment. Photos of the condominium taken after the raid, show bed sheets ripped off a mattress, yellowing kitchen cabinets and uninviting tiled floors.
In the kitchen, what appears to be a pancake can be seen left in a frying pan, and a pile of fruit and vegetables has been left in a cheap plastic container.
Guzman’s cartel has smuggled billions of dollars worth of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamines into the United States, and fought vicious turf wars with other Mexican gangs.
He pioneered the use of sophisticated underground tunnels to smuggle drug shipments across the border and also became a major narcotics exporter to Europe and Asia in recent years.
Nearly 80,000 people have been killed in the last seven years with much of the violence in western and northern regions that have long been key smuggling routes.
Many of the victims are tortured and beheaded and their bodies dumped in a public place or in mass graves. The violence has ravaged border cities and even beach resorts such as Acapulco.
Many of the victims are tortured and beheaded and their bodies dumped in a public place or in mass graves. The violence has ravaged border cities and even beach resorts such as Acapulco.
Source: Global and Mail
