El Chapo Finally Recaptured

Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán in American custody after being extradited to the United States

Historical Context

The Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán was as famous for his ability to escape captivity as he was for his immense power and brutality as the head of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel.

By the time of his arrest Guzmán had delivered more narcotics to the United States than any other trafficker. He was first arrested in 1993 and spent 20 years in prison before escaping in 2001 by hiding in a laundry cart while his accomplices rolled him out of prison. He spent the next 13 years on the run before being recaptured in 2014.

He then escaped once more in 2015 through an elaborate tunnel built underneath the maximum security prison where he was staying. A year later he was captured by security forces in Los Michos, Sinaloa state.

On 19 January 2017 Guzmán was extradited to the United States where he is undergoing trial. The US federal government called Guzmán "the most ruthless, dangerous, and feared man on the planet."

Photo Info

Photographer: Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Date taken: January 19, 2017
Location taken: NYC, New York, United States
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Related Events

2001-01-19 Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán escapes from Puente Grande maximum-security prison near Guadalajara by bribing prison guards and hiding in a laundry cart
2015-07-11 Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán escapes from Altiplano maximum-security prison west of Mexico City via a specially constructed 1.5 km tunnel from his cell to a nearby house
2016-01-08 Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announces the recapture of drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, six months after he escaped prison
2017-01-19 Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán is extradited to the United States to face trial for his leadership of the Sinaloa drug cartel
2018-11-13 Trial of Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán begins in New York, he is charged with drug trafficking, money laundering, and murder
2019-01-15 Witness in El Chapo trial claims former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto accepted $100 million bribe from the drug cartel head
2019-02-12 Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán found guilty of all 10 federal crimes against him in New York after 200 hours of testimony
2019-07-17 Mexican drug cartel head Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years in New York
2021-02-22 Wife of drug cartel boss "El Chapo" Emma Coronel Aispuro arrested in the US on drug trafficking charges and conspiring to free her husband from prison
2021-06-10 Emma Coronel Aispuro, wife of drug lord El Chapo, pleads guilty to helping run his criminal operations and aiding his 2015 prison escape
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