Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán

Full Name: Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera
Profession: Drug Lord

Nationality:

Biography: Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán is best known for leading the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world, and for his several high-profile prison escapes. Since 2016, however, he has been incarcerated in the United States.

Born into poverty, Guzmán entered the drug trade first by growing opium poppies which his father sold. After starting his own organisation with some friends and eventually being kicked out of the house by his father, Guzmán went into business in earnest. He quickly rose through the ranks, working with prominent figures like Héctor Luis Palma Salazar and Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo.

Guzmán founded his own cartel in 1988 and oversaw the production and smuggling of drugs into the United States and Europe. He pioneered the use of tunnels and distribution cells, which allowed him to evade authorities and expand his empire. At the height of his power, Guzmán was considered one of the most influential people in the world, with a net worth rivaling that of Pablo Escobar.

Despite his success, Guzmán was first arrested in 1993 and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but escaped in 2001. After being recaptured in 2014, he escaped again in 2015 through a tunnel. His final arrest came in 2016, after which he was extradited to the United States where he was found guilty of multiple charges and sentenced to life in prison.

Guzmán has been married multiple times and had a number of children, many of both his wives and children were involved in the drug trade. His third wife, for instance, Emma Coronel Aispuro, was arrested in 2021 for her role in his cartel and escape plots.

Born: April 4, 1957
Birthplace: La Tuna, Sinaloa, Mexico
Age: 67 years old

Generation: Baby Boomer
Chinese Zodiac: Rooster
Star Sign: Aries