Six months after escaping a maximum-security prison, and three months after his son purportedly uploaded a picture giving away his location, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman - the elusive Sinaloa drug cartel kingpin - has again been arrested.
Mexico President Enrique Pena Nieto sent a tweet Friday morning which translates to "Mission accomplished: we have him. I want to let the Mexican people know that Joaquin Guzman Loera has been detained."
Misión cumplida: lo tenemos. Quiero informar a los mexicanos que Joaquín Guzmán Loera ha sido detenido.
— Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) January 8, 2016
Mi reconocimiento al Gabinete de Seguridad del Gobierno de la República por este importante logro en favor del Estado de Derecho en México. — Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) January 8, 2016
An anonymous official told the Associated Press that Guzman was involved in a shootout with Mexican marines in the city of Los Mochis, a coastal city in Guzman's home state of Sinaloa. The Mexican Navy released a statement saying the firefight ended with five suspects dead and six others arrested.
Marines reportedly seized eight long guns, two .50-caliber sniper rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, an assault rifle with a .40 mm grenade launcher, and two armored vehicles.
Guzman, considered by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency as the biggest drug lord in history, escaped from the Altiplano Federal Prison last July by creating a hole in the shower area of his cell block. The ruse cost the fugitive a reported $50 million in bribes. He made a similar escape from high-security Punta Grande prison in 2001, alluding Mexican law enforcement for 13 years before the Mexican Navy was able to track him to a secluded area in the Sierra Madre Mountains.
Twitter users reacted to the arrest swiftly.
They captured El Chapo. Or as Steve Harvey announced Pablo Escobar. #ElChapo
— Paul Lander (@paul_lander) January 8, 2016
.@MarcoRubio Calls On @POTUS Administration To Immediately Pursue Extradition Of Recaptured Drug Lord "#ElChapo": https://t.co/stp8lfT34z — Senator Rubio Press (@SenRubioPress) January 8, 2016
crap, El Chapo just escaped again. Que lastima
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) January 8, 2016
Longer El Chapo held by Mexican govt, more likely he is to "escape." Mexican drug carels own the govt. Our new country's going to be GREAT! — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) January 8, 2016
I feel bad for El Chapo, he actually helps a lot of poor people
— ️️ (@VERSAlLLE) January 8, 2016
Every one thinks El Chapo is a bad guy but he started selling drugs because he grew up poor and he sometimes didn't have anything to eat — Esme (@bruhitsnotzach_) January 8, 2016
creo que la situacion del pais no cambia por la recaptura de el CHAPO al contrario la situacion sigue y igual o peor
— ARTURO MELGOZA (@junky753) January 8, 2016
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