The saga of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has met a mournful conclusion, or at least, one chapter in the drug kingpin’s saga has ended. The Sinaloa drug cartel lord has been a fugitive since July when he escaped (through an elaborately constructed tunnel) from the shower area of his Mexican prison cell. We since learned a lot about El Chapo, including how his own sons nearly revealed his location by being bad at Twitter.
When El Chapo escaped, Mexico swiftly arrested six accessories in the drug lord’s escape. These arrests included the brother-in-law who reportedly orchestrated the 1.5 kilometer tunnel, which ended in a house owned by the brother in law. Then in early October, El Chapo had his closest brush with recapture, which ended up being for the bizarre reason of a pet monkey. That encounter left El Chapo with moderate injuries to his face and one leg. Chapo is a master of evasion, but he couldn’t run forever.
On Friday, Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto announced on Twitter that the search is over, and El Chapo is back in custody.
Misión cumplida: lo tenemos. Quiero informar a los mexicanos que Joaquín Guzmán Loera ha sido detenido.
— Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) January 8, 2016
“Mission accomplished.” This must be music to Donald Trump’s ears after the rumored bounty placed by El Chapo on Trump’s well-fluffed head. No one ever confirmed the bounty was real, but it caused enough anxiety on Trump’s behalf to prompt a call to the FBI for protective support.