A Brief History
On July 11, 2015, the man called “El Chapo” (Shorty), Joaquin Guzman, escaped from Mexican prison via a mile long 30 foot deep tunnel equipped with ventilation, rail tracks, and a motorcycle. Obviously such an elaborate engineering feat could not have been constructed without the collusion of authorities, and many prison officials were arrested in the wake of the escape.
Digging Deeper
Guzman is considered the most powerful drug kingpin in the world today, said by some to be more powerful than Pablo Escobar at Escobar’s peak. Guzman has a fortune estimated at around a billion dollars. The government of Mexico has put a $3.8 million reward out for his capture, and the US government has added a $5 million reward.
Guzman had only been in prison since 2014, when he was recaptured after 13 years on the lam from his 2001 escape from a “maximum security” Mexican prison. That prison stay had lasted 8 years.
As we can see from the Escobar incident and the previous Guzman escape, History seems to repeat itself. We hope this incident also has a “happy ending” with Guzman either captured or killed, but in any case not allowed to continue his criminal empire.
Question for students (and subscribers): What do you think can be done to prevent future escapes of drug lords? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Rockefeller, J.D. El Chapo Guzman’s Escape From a Maximum Security Prison in 2015. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015.
