11/07/15 (written by alagorio) – Recently, Mexican authorities have arrested six people who are suspected of being involved in the escape of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán from the Altiplano prison. This is the second time Guzmán has escaped from a prison in Mexico.
According to El Universal, the six people who were detained include Guzmán’s brother-in-law, his lawyer, a member of his legal team, a property owner, and two pilots. Attorney General Arely Gómez González explained that the alleged mastermind is a member of El Chapo’s legal team who had access to the prison. According to The Guardian, his lawyer was able to relay instructions and plan the escape from inside the prison. Also, Guzmán’s brother-in-law is suspected of supervising the construction of the one-mile tunnel that led out of the prison. After Guzmán exited the tunnel, he traveled to the city of Queretaro where the two pilots arranged a plane that is suspected of flying to Sinaloa.
The second escape of Guzmán is an embarrassment for the Peña Nieto administration. He is the largest drug lord in Mexico, as the head of the Sinaloa Cartel. About twenty-three prison employees have been arrested for helping with the escape. Many countries like the United States believe that high profile criminals like Guzmán cannot be properly detained in Mexico due to the vast amount of corruption of prison officials.
Overall, the detainment of the six people is a step in discovering the whereabouts of Guzmán and how this plan was successfully executed. Nevertheless, the amount of prison officials involved in the escape poses a greater challenge of how to stop corruption in Mexico. The escape of high prolife criminals like El Chapo not only compromises the legal system of Mexico but also hurts the Peña Nieto’s credibility on an international scale.
Sources:
“Detenidos cómplices de la fuga del capo mexicano “el Chapo” Guzmán.” El Universal. October 21, 2015.
“Seis personas que ayudaron a “El Chapo” están detenidas.” La Prensa. October 21, 2015.
