The (Re)Escape of “El Chapo” Guzmán and Its Implications for Mexico

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The escape on July 11, 2015 by Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, a.k.a. “El Chapo,” from the high security Mexican prison Penal Federal del Altiplano I, has slammed the credibility of Mexico’s already distrusted federal government.  The first time El Chapo escaped from a federal lockup occurred January 19, 2001, when he broke out of the prison in Puente Grande, Mexico State, after he was captured in Guatemala on May 24, 1993.  He was recaptured on February 21, 2014 in a hotel in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, by Mexican and U.S. authorities.  Known for constructing sophisticated smuggling tunnels under the U.S. border, he escaped via a long and suspiciously precise tunnel that opened into a small blind spot in his shower.  Mexicans have reacted with cynicism and disgust that does not bode well for the government of President Enrique Peña Nieto, while comparisons have been made to the notorious case of Pablo Escobar in Colombia, and questions have been raised about the whole idea of the war on drugs.