The saga of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is more complex than most movies you’ll see in Hollywood these days, and unlike those films, you’re getting an original story. The flight of the Sinaloa drug cartel lord is very real, and ever since he escaped through an elaborate tunnel from a Mexican prison in July, the authorities have persisted in a massive manhunt. In early October, El Chapo narrowly escaped re-arrest in early October with injuries to his face and one leg. This was his closest brush with recapture.
Dead or alive, El Chapo will be found again. He can’t run forever, and unlike the last time he evaded arrest for 13 years, social media is working against him. He’s a master of evasion, but he can’t tame the effects of his own son’s Twitter account, which could unwittingly give away his hiding place through the miracle known as “location services.” Chapo was brutal enough to come out of the Donald Trump debacle with a rumored bounty on Trump’s head. Whether or not that rumor is true, we’ll likely never know, but Trump felt threatened enough to call in the FBI for reinforcements.
First thing’s first: Chapo’s July tunnel escape from a Mexican prison has resulted in six arrests of people who allegedly helped the drug lord. That roster includes Chapo’s brother-in-law, who allegedly masterminded the big escape by acting as an information conduit to other Chapo henchmen. The brother-in-law also reportedly organized and oversaw the construction of the elaborate escape tunnel, which was 1.5 kilometers in length and ended in a plot of land owned by the brother-in-law.
Those arrested face a lengthy battle, no doubt. Yet Chapo himself still remains at large, and fascinating new details are dropping about his early-October brush with the law. That particular adventure, according to The Telegraph, revolved solely around Chapo’s desire to rescue the domesticated monkey belonging to his 4-year-old twin girls. The pet primate, known as “Boots,” was left behind when Chapo’s family moved during his time in prison. Chapo would not stand for the abandonment of Boots, so he invested some manpower to capture the monkey and return Boots unharmed.
Unfortunately for Boots, Chapo’s brother-in-law messed up by following customs procedures. He applied for a permit to travel with Boots, which is what put the authorities on the trail. They soon found that Boots was inside a Ford Mustang that happened to belong to Chapo’s brother-in-law. This led to the aforementioned arrests of the brother-in-law and other associates.
As for Chapo himself? We shall see what happens.
(Via The Guardian & The Telegraph)