MEXICO-GUZMAN/ANALYST Kingpin Guzman's jailbreak a blow to president, boon for resurgent Sinaloa Cartel: analyst

Record ID: 147260

  • Title: MEXICO-GUZMAN/ANALYST Kingpin Guzman's jailbreak a blow to president, boon for resurgent Sinaloa Cartel: analyst
  • Date: 14th July 2015
  • Summary: ALMOLOYA DE JUAREZ, MEXICO (JULY 13, 2015) (REUTERS) WEAPON OF FEDERAL POLICE OFFICER WHO IS OUTSIDE PRISON FROM WHICH JOAQUIN 'EL CHAPO' GUZMAN ESCAPED POLICE ON BACK OF TRUCK OUTSIDE PRISON FROM WHICH EL CHAPO ESCAPED CONVOY CARRYING INTERIOR MINISTER MIGUEL ANGEL OSORIO CHONG ARRIVING AT HOUSE WHERE TUNNEL LED VARIOUS OF OSORIO CHONG (IN WHITE LONG-SLEEVED SHIRT) WALKIN
  • Embargoed: 29th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Mexico
  • Country: Mexico
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVACFRRRXLPGWGCOWAW2MLDAB56O
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
    The dramatic escape on Saturday (July 11) of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is a big blow for Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto's efforts to curb cartels amidst a resurgent Sinaloa Cartel, a Mexican security export told Reuters.
    The kingpin snuck out of the prison through a subterranean tunnel more than 1.5 km (1 mile) long that ended at an abandoned property near the local town. Guzman, who had bribed his way out of prison during an escape in 2001, was seen on video entering his shower area at 8:52 p.m. then disappeared, officials reported.
    On Monday (July 13), Mexican Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio toured the building where Guzman's tunnel led as heavy security presence could be seen outside the prison and on nearby roads.
    In February of 2014, when Guzman was re-arrested after more than a decade on the run, Pena Nieto said another escape by the drug kingpin would be "unforgivable." Since the latest escape Pena Nieto's critics have reminded him incessantly of that statement.
    "It's one of the biggest hits for the Mexican government; one of their achievements was to bring "Chapo" Guzman under arrest. And now we know, firstly, that the (cartel) was not broken up, he (Guzman) continued to give instructions from the prison and secondly, all credibility is lost because he got out of a maximum-security prison. This jail is the most secure in all of Mexico," said Alberto Islas, a security expert at consultancy Risk Evaluation.
    Guzman was one of the world's top crime bosses, running the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, which has smuggled billions of dollars worth of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamines into the United States and fought vicious turf wars with other Mexican gangs.
    Guzman is expected to re-join the ranks of the cartel and muscle into rival territory as an emboldened Sinaloa Cartel look to restate its dominance.
    "There is no one stopping their (Sinaloa cartel) activities. Yes they got "Chapo" Guzman but they didn't confiscate property, bank accounts, nor the flow of money. So, it's a cartel that is going to have a high morale, a cartel that is re-positioning, a cartel that has shown it can defy the Mexican government," added Islas.
    So far, 31 prison officials, including the facility's head, have been taken in for questioning over Guzman's escape.
    Police fanned out on roads and highways, searching vehicles for Guzman.
    The breakout happened in the State of Mexico, the home state of Pena Nieto, who took office in 2012 vowing to confront cartel violence that has killed more than 100,000 people since 2007.
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