Joaquín Guzmán Loera, aka, "El Chapo"
Intelligence indicate that El Chapo could be a free man at any time, as the Sinaloa Cartel plans a second daring escape from a Mexican federal maximum prison.
By H. Nelson Goodson
February 23, 2014
Mexico City - Mexican federal authorities have posted a 24 hour suicide watch on Joaquin Guzmán Loera, 59, of Sinaloa at the Altiplano Mexican federal prison in Almoloya de Juárez in the state of Mexico. Guzmán Loera had indicated that he wanted one of his men to fatally shoot him, if he was about to be captured. But that fail on Saturday morning, when Mexican Marines hot on his trail raided his Miramar hotel room In Mazatlán at 6:40 a.m. without firing a shot and took him into custody.
Guzmán Loera had been wanted by both the U.S. and Mexican authorities after he paid the warden and Puente Grande prison guards millions to escape in 2001. The Sinaloa druglord had been an international fugitive for 13 years. A $5M dollar reward was offered by the U.S. for his capture and $3M dollars from the Mexican government.
Guzmán Loera to elude capture or detection for years had submitted to several plastic surgeries to change his facial appearance. On Saturday, his identity was confirmed by Jesús Murillo Karam, the Mexican federal Attorney General.
Guzmán Loera is considered a billionaire druglord and has bought government protection in Mexico. He hasn't reveal any corrupt federal and local officials on his payroll yet, but the longer he stays in prison, a list of corrupt officials is sure to surface. In 2009, Guzmán Loera revealed a list of corrupt officials, it was later published by a Mexican newspaper.
Criminal organized gambling bets have begun to determine when he will be actually free again. As long as Guzmán Loera remains in a Mexican prison, he can control the worldwide operations of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The U.S. government is expected to seek Guzmán Loera's extradition and the Mexican government will most likely turn over Guzmán Loera at any given time. The Mexican government cannot afford another daring escape from El Chapo. The longer they keep him locked up in a Mexican prison, the greater oportunity of him escaping. No federal Mexican prison can hold a billionaire druglord with a track record and an influence to buy prison officials and guards.
Corrupt Mexican federal and local officials can't afford for Guzmán Loera to be extradited to the U.S., because their livelihoods are at stake.
