Mexican Drug Lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman Fell Off A Cliff, Injures Himself During A Manhunt
Infamous Mexican drug cartel Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has escaped authorities once again after he fell off a small cliff while being chased by Special Forces in the mountainous region of Mexico.
According to CNN, Mexican Marines and other special forces spotted El Chapo near the town of Cosala in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico on October 9. The drug kingpin was said to be with a young girl at the time of the manhunt, which prevented the authorities from coming close to him.
When Guzman was alone, they tracked him on foot but he fell of a small cliff. His men quickly took him away and fled through the thick forest. El Chapo purportedly broke his leg and injured his face while fleeing from pursuers in the mountains of Sinaloa, one of the authorities told CNN.
Wanted drug lord El Chapo fell off a cliff in latest daring escape from authorities: report. https://t.co/uE620jeFMp pic.twitter.com/lJd1uvvsfO
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) October 22, 2015
Officials are positive that with the injuries El Chapo sustained, their chances of catching him “have [been] boosted tremendously.” “It puts him in one particular spot that he wasn’t planning on being in before,” former Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Carl Pike said in a statement.
However, authorities will have a hard time capturing the drug lord since Sinaloa is said to be his hometown and local residents are protecting him, security officials admitted.
El Chapo first escaped prison in 2001 after successfully hiding himself in a laundry cart. In 2014, he was captured by the Mexican government once again but was able to escape in July.
This isn’t El Chapo’s 1st jailbreak – here’s more on his 2001 escape http://t.co/IzTQntipgg — Lisa Tozzi (@lisatozzi) July 12, 2015
His jail break in July made headlines as several officials have been charged for allegedly helping the drug lord escape maximum security. He escaped through a tunnel that was dug under his cell.
The entrance of the excavation measured about 20×20 inches and the tunnel was about 5 feet deep. The tunnel was equipped with PVC piping for ventilation and lighting. A motorcycle, which police believed was used to excavate and to carry materials used for the tunnel was found.
On Wednesday, Mexican authorities announced the arrest of six people believed to be involved in the second escape of El Chapo in July. Two of them were El Chapo’s brother-in-law and the alleged mastermind of the prison break.
Suspected Mastermind Of “El Chapo” Prison Escape Captured, Mexico Says https://t.co/AHvkOCOPOj pic.twitter.com/ApIGnbENKo
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) October 22, 2015
According to Attorney General Arely Gomez, the suspected mastermind is a member of El Chapo’s group of legal representatives who had access to the Altiplano prison where he was detained. He allegedly paid the people who helped him escape.
El Chapo’s brother-in-law manned the construction of the escape tunnel and took care of the transportation. According to ABC News, he was the one who “negotiated the purchase of the plot of land where the tunnel emerged; and an airplane pilot.”
“Today we are able to affirm that the group responsible for planning, organizing, and carrying out the escape from outside the prison has been broken up,” Gomez said in a statement.
[Image via YouTube]
