Friday, January 8, 2016

Mexico's Most Wanted Fugitive, Joaquin Guzman Loera, a/k/a El Chapo, Recaptured After Gun Fight With Mexican Marines

BALTIMORE, Maryland January 9, 2016 - The last time this Mexican Criminal broke out of prison, the entire escapade was so outlandish that almost everyone realized that prison officials and others even higher up in the Mexican Government had to be involved.  And they were.  Now Joaquín Guzmán Loera, better known as "El Chapo," is back in police custody.  It took a goodly number of Mexican Marines to get him this time, and it was even necessary for these Marines to become involved in an all-out gun battle with El Chapo's "security forces."  That battle left five of El Chapo's men dead, and one Marine injured.  The arrest was important enough to be personally announced by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Friday.

The gun battle, described by the New York Times as "intense," took place at El Chapo's home in the city of Los Mochis, "a seaside area in Mr. Guzmán’s home state of Sinaloa."

The Nieto Government has not said whether it will attempt for the third time to hold Guzman in incarceration in Mexico, or extradite him to the United States.  Prior to his most recent escape - where his agents built a mile-long tunnel replete with a motorcycle on rails - Mexican authorities said he would serve all of his prison time in Mexico before any extradition would be considered.  Three weeks prior to the escape in July, 2015 the United States formally asked for El Chapo's extradition.  He had been captured - again by the Mexican Marines - in April, 2014.  Subsequent to the embarassing escape, Mexico did extradite several high profile drug kingpins.

Mr. Nieto had come to power in Mexico promising a new day in the Government's long fight against drug cartels.  But the affair with El Chapo and the virtual control of land near the USA border by drug gangs has proven that talk is much easier than accomplishment.

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