After Being Re-Captured In Mexico, Is El Chapo On His Way To The U.S.? (Video)
Possibly the world’s most notorious wanted man, Mexican drug kingpin El Chapo, has been arrested and will likely face extradition charges by the United States. Born Joaquín Archivaldo Guzman Leora, El Chapo (Spanish for “the short one”) took on Pablo Escobar-esque notoriety in 2015 after escaping from prison for the second time and evading authorities on a months-long run from justice. As the head of the infamous Sinaloa drug cartel, Leora has been serving as the leading kingpin of the cartel for more than ten years, and has been called the world’s “most powerful drug trafficker” by the Department of the Treasury. As such, he became one of the U.S. government’s prime targets, thanks in part to his involvement in the sale and transport of drugs across international borders and related crimes, many of which include murder. With his most recent arrest only a few days ago, there is already talks of extraditing him from Mexico to the U.S., which likely means he’ll be imprisoned for the rest of his life.
Since his most recent prison escape in July, Leora has not at all maintained a low profile; in fact, he notably got into a very public Twitter battle with Donald Trump and it was recently divulged that he met with the very celebrated Sean Penn, an actor-turned-journalist who interviewed Loera in a very secret meeting which took place in the wilderness of the Mexican jungle. The meeting resulted in a historic interview with Rolling Stone, and it signaled the first time Loera had made statements about his drug trafficking to a journalist. Some of his responses to Penn’s questions were recorded on video, and it’s evident Guzman was eager to share with the world his pride on what he’d accomplished in life.
But Loera’s desire to capitalize on his fame didn’t stop there. Apparently, Loera had also been making attempts to get a film made about his life, behavior one would not expect from a man whose freedom quite literally depends on remaining hidden. His luck at avoiding the law has apparently run out this time, as on January 8 he was apprehended after a multi-tiered offensive executed by the Mexican navy’s special forces, the national army, and the federal police.
Now that he’s been caught, it’s very plausible that El Chapo will become a prisoner in the United States, based on a report from CNN, in which the Mexican attorney general’s office is quoted as saying “Since Guzman Loera has been recaptured, the beginning of the extradition proceedings should begin.” In fact, authorities were already pursuing extradition before his most recent prison escape, so Guzman is long overdue for his arrival on U.S. soil.
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