Protests in Favor of 'El Chapo'; Hundreds Ask for the Liberation of the Criminal Leader in Sinaloa

The streets of the capital of the state of Sinaloa, in northern Mexico, were invaded on Wednesday by more than a thousand people who demanded the liberation of the drug trafficking leader, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, arrest last week in Mazatlán.

Most of the protesters were young men dressed in white wearing headbands with the name "El Chapo" on them, and invaded the streets of the city of Culiacán with banners and loudspeakers launching slogans against the government of President Peña Nieto, demanding the liberation of who they say "has given them the opportunity to work and has worked towards the betterment of society in Sinaloa."

"The Government does not provide work opportunities," said Daniel García, an unemployed 20-year-old, interviewed by Reuters. "The situation is honestly very rough. He helps young people by providing jobs."

The society of Sinaloa has expressed its complete support for "El Chapo", a man of humble origins that managed to become the most wanted man in the world, and was named Chicago's Public Enemy No. 1.

The people of Sinaloa say that Joaquín Guzmán has provided young people with jobs and good salaries, and promoted safety in the state; something, they say, the federal government has not managed to do.

"El Chapo's" organization is not considered by the local as a threat, in comparison to other drug cartels that have proven to be more blood thirsty and merciless not only on Mexico's northern border, but in most of the Federation.

According to Reuters, the protests in favor of Guzmán Loera development in a party environment, accompanied by traditional Mexican music bands who sang corridos relating to the power and criminal empire that "El Chapo" was able to develop.

At the end of the protests, young people with their faces covered and onboard trucks handed out water and food to protesters.

The Mexican government arrested Joaquín Guzmán for multiple charges and keeps him detained in a maximum security prison where he awaits his trial and sentence. The government of the United States have requested the criminal's extradition; however, President Peña Nieto has said that the Attorney General of the Federation must consider the new processes against the world's most powerful drug trafficker before he can be the subject of an eventual extradition, where he would be processed under American law.